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[Display omitted] • NiW catalyst supported on titania was the most active in the guaiacol HDO. • Bifunctional catalysts were required to the completely deoxygenation of guaiacol. • NiW/TiO 2 catalyst promoted the demethoxylation route. • Medium acid strength was related with an increase in the catalytic activity. • The highest percentage of deoxygenated products was obtained with the NiW/TiO 2. A series of NiWS catalysts supported on TiO 2 , ZrO 2 and TiO 2 -ZrO 2 mixed oxides was tested in the hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol. The TiO 2 /ZrO 2 ratio in the mixed oxides was varied to elucidate the effect of the titania content on the catalyst activity. According to our results, high acidity values seem to favor the demethylation route with catechol as the main product, while a medium acid strength could probably be the active site for the scission of the C aromatic -OCH 3 bond. Moreover, the production of completely deoxygenated compounds was directly related with the TiO 2 percentage on the catalysts. In this sense, guaiacol needs to be converted by the demethoxylation route, in order to avoid the catechol formation, which is a coke precursor, and phenol production route is improved. A fair correlation between medium acid strength for the catalysts and the phenol formation was also found. The catalyst supported on TiO 2 was found to be the most active per atom of metal, 62% higher than the NiW/TZ(80/20) catalysts. The content of titania on the support was relevant to obtain completely deoxygenated compounds, such as cyclohexane and benzene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of dietary unrefined olive oil (OO) residues and hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) on the fatty acid profiles of milk and cheese and the sensory characteristics of cheeses were determined. For 9 weeks, animals were fed a control diet with no added lipid (n = 5 cows), or fat-supplemented diets containing OO or HVO (in both cases n = 5 cows; 30 g kg −1 dry matter). Compared with control and HVO, OO increased C18:1 cis-9, and C18:3 cis-9, cis-12, cis-15 fatty acids in milk; and also increased C18:1 trans-10, C18:1 trans-11, C18:1 cis-9, C18:2 cis-9, trans-11 and C18:3 cis-9, cis-12, cis-15 fatty acids in cheeses. OO reduced the number of holes, overall odour and acidity of cheeses, whereas HVO increased the cow milk odour, bitterness and acidity of cheeses. Overall, OO can improve the cheese fatty acid profile, but with adverse effects on sensory attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hardness and corrosion resistance of TiN coatings, processed by Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) to cover polished and unpolished Ti substrates, have been evaluated. A deposition time of 5 min has been enough to obtain a cohesive layer of 7–8 μm in thickness. The coatings were thermally treated in vacuum atmosphere at 1200 °C for 1 h with heating and cooling rates of 5 °C min −1 . The surfaces have been covered homogeneously optimizing the properties of the Ti substrates. Uniform and dense TiN coatings have been obtained onto polished substrates, while on unpolished Ti the nitrogen diffuses toward the substrate, moderately dissolving TiN coating. The nanohardness values of the polished samples have been increased from 2.8–4.8 GPa up to 6.5–8.5 GPa. Besides, the corrosion current density has been reduced more than one order of magnitude obtaining a protective efficiency of 82%. These values have been compared with other works in literature where authors used complex and costly processing techniques, demonstrating the strong impact of the colloidal processing over the specific properties of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study is made to evaluate the bioaccessibility of heavy metals in contaminated soils through a simple bioaccessibility extraction test (SBET), applied to the analysis of both the gastric and intestinal phases. Soils with high metal content of the Mapocho, Cachapoal, and Rancagua series were studied; they are located in suburban areas of large cities in the central valley of Chile. The bioaccessible concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were related to the main physicochemical characteristics of the soils and to the chemical forms obtained by sequential extraction. The elements Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn are distributed in the soils between the exchangeable fractions, bound to oxides, to organic matter, and in the residual fraction. On the other hand, Cr and Pb are found mainly in the fractions bound to organic matter and in the residual fraction. The three soils have a high Cu content, (640–2060 mg/kg), in the order Cachapoal > Rancagua > Mapocho. The SBET test allowed establishing a different bioaccessibility for the elements in the soil. Cu was notoriously bioaccessible in both the gastric and intestinal phases in the three soils, reaching more than 50% in the Cachapoal and Rancagua soils. The other elements, regardless of the soil, were bioaccessible only in one of the phases, more frequently in the gastric phase. The multiple correlation study indicates that the metal forms have a higher incidence than the soil’s physicochemical factors on the extractability to evaluate the human oral bioaccessibility of the metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have dramatically improved sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in patients treated for chronic hepatitis C. Although the safety of these agents has been very good in registration trials, unexpected side effects have been reported after much broader use of DAAs on marketing. We retrospectively examined all liver transplant recipients with chronic hepatitis C that received sofosbuvir-based regimens at our clinic. A total of 24 liver transplant recipients with recurrent chronic hepatitis C had received sofosbuvir up to April 2015. Regimens were as follows: sofosbuvir+simeprevir (8), SOF+ledipasvir (6), sofosbuvir+daclatasvir (5) and sofosbuvir+ribavirin (5). Overall, treatment was very well tolerated with only mild adverse events in 42% of patients. However, a 52-year-old woman developed severe respiratory failure within 10 days after beginning sofosbuvir+daclatasvir. High-resolution computerized tomography showed areas of diffused ground-glass opacities in both lungs, suggesting drug-induced lung injury. The bronchoalveolar lavage showed marked signs of acute inflammation without recovering any infectious agent. The patient was treated with high-dose corticosteroids and steadily recovered. DAA therapy was not discontinued, but sofosbuvir was replaced by simeprevir. She reached sustained virologic response after completing 24 weeks of DAA therapy. Given the close temporal association, radiologic and bronchoalveolar lavage findings, and negative work-up for infectious agents, we postulated that sofosbuvir was the most likely explanation for drug-induced lung injury in our patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the process parameters involved in the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to obtain thin TiN films was studied and optimised. The stability of commercial TiN nanopowder in isopropyl alcohol adding a cationic polymer (polyethylenimine) as dispersant, with different molecular weights, was investigated to determine the kinetics of the deposition and to reach the most efficient EPD process. Cathodic EPD was performed over electro-polished stainless steel substrates. It was found that the provided dispersion when the PEI with the highest molecular weight was added to the suspension, leads to the best deposition behaviour for short times. New flocculation phenomena were described which affect to the sticking factor, and thus to the evolution of the EPD kinetics. As a result of the designed stabilization system, a reliable and versatile EPD method to produce well consolidated nano-TiN coatings at 1200 °C in vacuum atmosphere was described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the photoreduction of hexavalent chromium in the absence or presence of citric acid using ZnS( en ) x complex photocatalyst of different intercalated layers of ZnS and of different morphology; wires, sheets and flakes. The hybrid semiconductors were prepared by precipitation method with a mixture of ethylenediamine-H 2 O solution varying the zinc precursor and the sulfur source. The flake-like of ZnS( en ) x hybrid with low layer-by-layers structure prepared from zinc acetate and carbon sulfide provides of enhanced photocatalytic properties that allows an efficient electron transfer process in the photoreduction of Cr(VI) in the presence of citric acid in acid media. The highest photoactivity of the flake hybrid was considered in function of the number of layers of ZnS stacked and of its high degree of protonation. The possible mechanism of photoreduction of chromic acid (HCrO 4 − ) species absorbed on protonated surface was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper reviews the main results on the long-term behavior of SON68 nuclear glass towards alpha decay accumulation. The effects of the radiation damage induced by alpha decay were investigated by doping a glass with a short-lived actinide 244 Cm, by using ionic irradiations and by molecular dynamic simulations. The analysis of the behavior of the glass structure subjected to ballistic effects with various spectroscopic studies has identified some local order changes around born and silicon atoms. Moreover a modification of the medium-range order has also been demonstrated through changes in the bond angles between network formers and broadening of the ring size distributions, indicating increasing disorder of the glass structure. This structural evolution induced by alpha decays would be driven by the reconstruction of the glass disorganized by displacement cascades of the recoil nuclei, freezing a glass structure with a higher fictive temperature. This “ballistic disordering (BD) fast quenching” event induce a new glassy state characterized by a higher enthalpy state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: The key to surgical planning for breast conservative treatment (BCT) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is tumor localization. Tumor marking can be performed using either skin tattoo or metallic marker. The objective of this study is to compare both types of tumor localization markers and to assess which techniques improve BCT in achieving a complete resection without compromise margins. Methods: 149 patients between 1999 and 2009 were eligible for the study. The skin tattoo group (TG) included 118 patients and the metallic marker group (MG) included 31 patients. Both markers were placed before starting NAC. Results: Median clinical tumor volume was 10.3 cm3 in the TG and 22.4 cm3 in the MG (p = 0.051). After NAC treatment, there were no significant statistically differences in both groups regarding complete clinical response, partial clinical response, and complete and partial pathological response. Median pathological tumor volume was: 0.8 cm3 in the TG and 0.69 cm3 in the MG (p = 0.8). Lumpectomy volume was bigger in the TG (268 cm3) than MG (143 cm3); p < 0.004. There were no statistically significant differences when comparing margin status. Conclusions: Lumpectomy guided with metallic marker after NAC allows lower excision of breast tissue without compromising margins. Having similar pathologic response between groups, skin tattoo leads to excise larger volume of tissue adding no benefits to the surgery. With the increasing pathologic complete responses to NAC, patients who are candidates for BCT after NAC will benefit from marking the tumor with metallic markers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Serotonin plays a critical role in the regulation of intestinal physiology. The serotonin transporter (SERT) expressed in the intestinal epithelium determines 5-HT availability and activity. The serotoninergic system and SERT activity have been described as being altered in chronic intestinal pathologies such as inflammatory diseases. Adenosine has also been shown to be involved in a variety of intestinal functions and to play a central role in the regulation of inflammatory responses of injured tissue. Since the modulation of SERT by adenosine in the intestine remains unknown, the aim of the present work was to study the effect of adenosine on SERT activity and expression and to determine the molecular mechanism involved. The study has been carried out using human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells which endogenously express SERT. The results show that adenosine diminishes SERT activity in both the apical and basal membranes by acting in the intrinsic molecule with no alteration of either SERT mRNA or protein levels. The effect of adenosine appears to be mediated by A2 receptors and activation of the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway. Moreover, the adenosine effect did not seem to involve the activation of AMP activated protein kinase. Adenosine effects are reached at high concentrations, which suggests that adenosine modulation of SERT may be significant under conditions of inflammation and tissue injury. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Let ϕ be a c-inversive strong distribution as defined in [A. Sri Ranga, E.X.L. de Andrade, J.H. McCabe, Some consequences of a symmetry in strong distributions, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 193 (1) (1995) 158–168]. In this paper, two-point Padé approximants, both with free and prescribed poles, related to the distribution ϕ are analyzed. In particular, the existence of c-inversive rational approximants to the Stieltjes transform of ϕ is studied, in order to make computations in an advantageous way. An application to numerical quadratures is also given, and several examples applying these Gauss-type quadrature formulas in the case of integrands which can be well approximated by Laurent polynomials are displayed, showing better results than the corresponding for the usual Gaussian rules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ambystoma mexicanum is an endemic salamander of Xochimilco, a wetland of the basin of Mexico valley. Nowadays, axolotl populations are decreasing due environmental stressors. Particularly, studies about organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs; i.e. chlorpyrifos and malathion) toxicity are of great importance due to their intensive use in agricultural activities in Xochimilco. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate under controlled conditions the toxicity of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and malathion (MLT) on embryos and larvae (stage 44 and 54) of A. mexicanum. Embryos and larvae were exposure 96h from 0.5 to 3mg CPFL−1 and from 10 to 30mg MLTL−1 in independent tests. Embryos at the end of this period were maintained 9d without pesticide in order to identify possible recuperation. Differences obtained in mortality, hatching success, development, morphological abnormalities, behaviour and activity, suggest that toxicity of CPF and MLT differs in embryos and larval stages. Embryos were less sensitive to OPPs acute exposure than axolotl larvae; additionally, toxicity of CPF in larval stages was greater than MLT. On the other hand, data obtained in axolotl embryos during the period of recuperation to CPF in particular as delay and inhibition of development, malformations and success of hatching, indicated that these responses turned out more sensitive than mortality. This study allowed to identify the toxicological potential of OPPs on early developmental stages of A. mexicanum and it is a valuable contribution for the future management of the axolotl wild population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Accurate and complete sets of atomic data are being computed for the radiative and Auger processes giving rise to K lines in ions of sulphur. autostructure, hfr and bprm codes are used, taking into account configuration interaction, core relaxation and relativistic effects so as to generate data following an approach used in our previous studies on iron and oxygen. Level energies, wavelengths, A-values and Auger rates are compared with available measurements and previous calculations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents an approach to performing time-critical collision detection for deformable objects. The deformable objects are represented by dense meshes and their deformations are steered by a coarser mesh (reduced model) based on explicit finite elements, to achieve an interruptible algorithm, we use a sphere tree constructed using an adaptive medial-axis approximation of the dense mesh. The bounding spheres are updated using the coarse mesh, thus balancing computational accuracy and speed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We study the convergence of quadrature formulas for integrals over the positive real line with an arbitrary (possibly complex) distribution function. The nodes of the quadrature formulas are the zeros of orthogonal Laurent polynomials with respect to an auxiliary distribution function and a certain nesting. The quadratures are called interpolatory (product) formulas. The class of functions for which convergence holds is characterized in terms of the moments of the auxiliary distribution function. We also include the convergence analysis of related two-point Padé-type approximants to the Stieltjes transform of the given distribution function. Finally, some illustrative numerical examples are also given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Let μ be a (possibly complex) measure on such that Let r denote a rational function whose poles lie in and . We consider two-point rational interpolants to the function where some poles are prescribed in advance and the others are left free. We show that if the prescribed poles are chosen conveniently, then sequences of two-point rational approximants converge geometrically to f on compact subsets of away from the poles of r. Estimates of the rate of convergence along with some numerical experiments are also given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]