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Investigations were carried out in mortars with alkali activated blast furnace slag (BFS) as the binder. The slag was replaced by up to 30% by weight of an ultrafine geothermal slag (GS) which was predominantly siliceous. The activating agents were waterglass and NaOH, commercial lime was added in 4% to promote pozzolanic activity of both slags. Measurements of non evaporable water indicated that the presence of the GS increased the reactivity of the cementitious systems. Also, for the NaOH activation, the replacement with 5-10% of the BFS by GS favored a porosity reduction (as observed by scanning electron microscopy) and the compressive strength improvement. For the waterglass activation, the addition of GS resulted in more compact microstructures; however, in spite of such improvement, during the mixing and castings of such mortars, air bubbles were trapped in the microstructure due to a fast setting, degrading the compressive strength with respect to the neat BFS mortars. After 90 days, the lime was not observed in the microstructure, suggesting that it was consumed by both slags.Se realizaron investigaciones en morteros con ligante de escoria de alto horno activada por álcalis. La escoria se reemplazó de 0 a 30% con una escoria geotérmica (EG) ultrafina predominantemente silícea. Los agentes activantes empleados fueron vidrio soluble y NaOH, agregando 4% de cal comercial como activante para promover la actividad puzolánica de ambas escorias. Las mediciones de agua no evaporable indicaron que la presencia de la EG incrementó la reactividad de los sistemas cementicios. Asimismo, para la activación con NaOH, la adición de 5-10% de EG favoreció la reducción de la porosidad (por microscopía electrónica de barrido) y la resistencia a la compresión. Al respecto de la activación con vidrio soluble, se observaron las microestructuras mas compactas, sin embargo durante el mezclado y moldeado de morteros con EG se notó la formación de burbujas de aire atrapadas lo que redujo finalmente las propiedades mecánicas al respecto a los morteros sin EG. Después de 90 días no se observó la presencia de cal en la microestructura, lo que indicó que fue consumida por ambas escorias.

The potential use of grapefruit peel as support material for yeast immobilization during beer fermentation was evaluated. After conditioning, FTIR analysis revealed a higher quantity of methoxy (-OCH3) groups, suggesting that lignin is the major component of the support. Cell adhesion onto the conditioned support in 12°Plato laboratory malt wort was evaluated, observing a maximal cell adhesion (2.25 · 109 cells/gram of dried support) at 20 h of cultivation, remaining almost constant in the subsequent time points. Evaluations of the fermentative behaviour of the biocatalyst at 15±0.5 °C in a 14 °Plato laboratory malt wort indicated good stability in terms of physical integrity (confirmed by SEM observation). The fermentation time was shortened to four days, and the rates of reducing sugar consumption and ethanol production were improved when compared to fermentations carried out with free suspended cells. These results show a promising potential of grapefruit peel as support material in beer fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Competitive Advantages that could be generated by the Human Capital subsystem have a high impact on the Technological Capabilities of an organization in the terms of the generation of its economic growth, channels of improvement and in the performance of technology in order to satisface the user needs, maintain her competitiveness and, in its end, to innovate. The paper describes the results of the research project "Quality and Innovation: Technological Capabilities in Software Companies and Computer Services, Analysis for the Optimization of the Human Capital Subsystem", developed at the Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata. The project in his development and implementation searched information to the Technological Capabilities of the organizations of Software Industry and Information Services (SSI) in particular, and in the Industry based on knowledge, in general. The paper describes the goals of the project and the preliminary analysis that can be done in order to add, from the University, a point of reference with the key elements that could be use for Small and Medium Enterprises at SSI industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Facultad de Ciencias Economicas: Investigacion y Reflexion is the property of Revista Facultad de Ciencias Economicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ge under high strain is predicted to become a direct bandgap semiconductor. Very large deformations can be introduced using microbridge devices. However, at the microscale, strain values are commonly deduced from Raman spectroscopy using empirical linear models only established up to ε100= 1.2% for uniaxial stress. In this work, we calibrate the Raman-strain relation at higher strain using synchrotron based microdiffraction. The Ge microbridges show unprecedented high tensile strain up to 4.9% corresponding to an unexpected Δω = 9.9 cm-1 Raman shift. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that the Raman strain relation is not linear and we provide a more accurate expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High tensile strains in Ge are currently studied for the development of integrated laser sources on Si. In this work, we developed specific Germanium-On-Insulator 200mm wafer to improve tolerance to high strains induced via shaping of the Ge layers into micro-bridges. Building on the high crystalline quality, we demonstrate bi-axial tensile strain of 1.9%, which is currently the highest reported value measured in thick (350 nm) Ge layer. Since this strain is generally considered as the onset of the direct bandgap in Ge, our realization paves the way towards mid-infrared lasers fully compatible with CMOS fab technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of CyTA: Journal of Food is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The effect of an adhesion promoter (2-[thiophen-3-yl]ethyl phosphonic acid [C6H9O3PS]) in the corrosion protection of 1018 (UNS G10180) mild steel by using poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) coatings in 0.5 M sulfuric acid (H2SO4) solution was studied. Mirror-abraded steels were pretreated with the adhesion promoter. P3HT films were prepared by the drop-casting technique on pretreated and bare steels. The corrosion resistance of P3HT-covered steel substrates was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization curves, linear polarization resistance, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results indicate that P3HT films improved the corrosion resistance of the steel in H2SO4 solution: however, the films deposited onto non-pretreated steel showed a better corrosion protection than the ones deposited on pretreated steel, even when the P3HT adhesion was improved. Equivalent electric circuit used to simulate the experimental impedance indicated that the corrosion mechanism in these materials is by charge-transfer process and diffusion process. The corrosion protection of the films is caused not only by acting as a barrier layer against aggressive ions from the environment, but also by improving the passive film properties of the substrate. Atomic Jorce microscopy (AFM) micrographs revealed that P3HT films deposited onto mild steel without pretreatment had a more homogeneous surface with smaller grains and a less porous one than those deposited on pretreated mild steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Chapingo Serie Horticultura is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

One of the main problems in greenhouse crop production is the presence of pests. Detection and classification of insects are priorities in integrated pest management (IPM). This document describes a machine vision system able to detect whiteflies ( Bemisia tabaci Genn.) in a greenhouse by sensing their presence using hunting traps. The extracted features corresponding to the eccentricity and area of the whiteflies projections allow to establish differences among pests and other insects on both the trap surfaces and dust generated artefacts. Because of whiteflies geometrical characteristics, it was possible to design an efficient (related to manual counting) machine vision algorithm to scout and count units of this pest within a greenhouse environment. These algorithm results show high correlation indexes for both, sticky screens ( R2 = 0.97) and plant leaf situations ( R2 = 1.0). The machine vision algorithm reduces the scouting time and the associated human error for IPM-related activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial dielectric materials placed around a sample are studied as load-matching elements for multimode microwave-heating applicators. The dimensions of these dielectric materials are optimized with an iterative procedure in order to achieve high-power efficiency, thus enhancing electric-field deposition within the sample. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 41: 414–417, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20156 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel writing, from the era of the Encounter to the present day, has played an integral role in the dialectical envisioning of Latin America and Latin American culture by Europeans, North Americans and Latin Americans alike. In my analysis of the cosmopolitan Argentine writer Ricardo Güiraldes's novel Xaimaca (1923), I tackle this writer's grappling with the Latin American elite's customary trip of acculturation to Europe. I demonstrate that, far from blindly supporting the belief that culture is a principally metropolitan phenomenon, Güiraldes proposes the notion of cultural (re)discovery within the Latin American context as seen through his protagonist's journey from Buenos Aires to Jamaica. Thus, Xaimaca is more than just the narration of a simple journey; it is also a metaphorical pilgrimage towards the autochthonous, as well as a proposal for a de-centring of Latin American cultural production and the creation of a new continental aesthetic in the post-First World War era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physiotherapist professional activities, in the beginning were focused only in the clinical field, nowadays it has many different action fields including Physical Activity. Physical activity can be viewed from two dimensions: one biological, which is defined as any activity which requires energy expenditure involving the combined action of multiple systems; on the other side social, understood as a human activity concerning subjectivity conditions influenced by the environment where the individual and the community are developed. Given these dimensions as well as national and international benchmarks this paper’s objective is to present a series of reflections that the authors have done regarding the physiotherapist professional performance in the field of physical activity and the large possibilities derived from their practice in this field.

The influence of pattern design and tensile strain on light emission was investigated in Ge layers and suspended membranes. The optical properties were examined by micro-photoluminescence and reflectivity. Tensile strain was extracted from micro-Raman spectroscopy. It has been shown that Fabry–Pérot interference fringes can dominate the photoluminescence spectra. It is crucial to remove them in order to analyze the photoluminescence changes coming from tensile strain; especially if Fabry–Pérot oscillations are in the same energy range compared to the stress-induced spectral shift. This study highlights the fact that this interference must be taken into account in order to examine the strain in suspended Ge layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is a major human pathogen and a research priority for developing new antimicrobial agents. CRAB is a causative agent of a variety of infections in different body sites. One of the manifestations is catheter-associated urinary tract infection, which exposes the bacteria to the host's urine, creating a particular environment. Exposure of two CRAB clinical isolates, AB5075 and AMA40, to human urine (HU) resulted in the differential expression levels of 264 and 455 genes, respectively, of which 112 were common to both strains. Genes within this group play roles in metabolic pathways such as phenylacetic acid (PAA) catabolism, the Hut system, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and other processes like quorum sensing and biofilm formation. These results indicate that the presence of HU induces numerous adaptive changes in gene expression of the infecting bacteria. These changes presumably help bacteria establish and thrive in the hostile conditions in the urinary tract. These analyses advance our understanding of CRAB's metabolic adaptations to human fluids, as well as expand knowledge on bacterial responses to distinct human fluids containing different concentrations of human serum albumin (HSA)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Coordinated medical evacuations represent an important strategy for emergency response when healthcare systems are impaired by armed conflict, particularly for patients diagnosed with life-threatening conditions such as cancer. In this study, we compare the experiences of two parallel medical evacuation systems developed to meet the medical needs of Ukrainians affected by war., Methods: This retrospective study compared outcomes of two medical evacuation systems, developed by the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and Supporting Action for Emergency Response in Ukraine (SAFER Ukraine) collaborative, in the first 10 months after the war's intensification in Ukraine (February 24 to December 21, 2022). Each groups' respective registries served as data sources. Patient demographics and allocation data were summarized descriptively. Median time for patient referral were analyzed statistically., Results: The ERCC pathway evacuated 1385 patients (median age: 36 [0 - 85] years) to 16 European countries; 78.7 % (n = 1091) suffered from trauma-related injuries and 13.4 % (n = 185) from cancer. SAFER Ukraine evacuated 550 patients (median age: 9 [0 - 22] years) to 14 European and North American countries; 97.1 % (n = 534) were children diagnosed with cancer or blood disorders. The median evacuation time for the SAFER Ukraine cohort was shorter than the ERCC cohort (p < 0.001), though comparable (six versus seven days)., Conclusion: The ERCC and SAFER Ukraine collaborative successfully developed medical evacuation pathways to meet the needs of Ukrainian patients impacted by war. System comparison provides opportunity to identify strategies for parallel system harmonization and a pragmatic example of how to anticipate support of these patients in future armed conflicts., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Despite promising results, reimplantation appears to have fallen into oblivion among the multiple possible approaches for repairing anomalous coronary arteries. We describe the outcomes of 12 patients with an anomalous right coronary artery originating from the opposite sinus of Valsalva with an interarterial course who were surgically treated with this technique between 2018 and 2023 in 2 institutions in Bogota, Colombia. We provide preliminary evidence of the value reimplantation as a more than suitable technique, particularly in resource-constrained settings. It offers high rates of control of symptoms and functional class recovery while assessing all potential high-risk features, with a low risk of complications, even in middle-aged patients. We also advocate using noninvasive anatomical descriptions and patient symptoms over inducible ischaemia tests in decision making., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.)

The advantageous optical properties of quantum dots (QDs) motivate their use in a wide variety of applications related to imaging and bioanalysis, including the detection of proteases and their activity. Recent studies have shown that surface chemistry on QDs is able to modulate protease activity, but only nonspecifically. Here, we present a strategy to selectively accelerate the activity of a particular target protease by as much as two orders of magnitude. Exosite-binding "bait" peptides were derived from proteins that span a range of biological roles─substrate, receptor, and inhibitor─and were used to increase the affinity of the QD-peptide conjugates for either thrombin or factor Xa, resulting in increased rates of proteolysis for coconjugated substrates. Unlike effects from QD surface chemistry, the acceleration was specific to the target protease with negligible acceleration of other proteases. Benefits of this "bait and cleave" sensing approach included detection limits that improved by more than an order of magnitude, reenabled detection of target protease against an overwhelming background of nontarget proteolysis, and mitigation of the action of inhibitors. The cumulative results point to a generalizable strategy, where the mechanism of acceleration, considerations for the design of bait peptides and conjugates, and routes to expanding the scope of this approach are discussed. Overall, this research represents a major step forward in the rational design of nanoparticle-based enzyme sensors that enhance sensitivity and selectivity.