Suchergebnisse

The development of modern gas turbine (GT) engines has been the result of continual improvements in a wide variety of engineering disciplines including turbine design, combustion, and materials. Hot section components of the GT engine are required to operate in harsh environments significantly in excess of their melting temperatures, requiring extensive cooling coupled with heat resistant and protective coatings. Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) comprise several layers and are designed to simultaneously provide thermal and oxidation protection. Development of high performance TBCs require a better understanding of the complex changes in their structures and properties that occur under operating conditions that lead to their failure. In this study, initially, multiscale analytical models were developed based on a thermodynamic variational principle to model sintering and microstructure evolution in thermal barrier top coat made using the electron beam physical vapour deposition route. It is assumed that the sintering occurs by interfacial diffusion at local contacts between columnar grains and driven by changes in interface free energy and elastic stored energy of the coating. The models link diffusional processes at the scale of contacting feathery columns with the macroscopic deformation and sintering response. Each member of the multi-layered TBC system is dynamic and all interact to control the performance and durability. Therefore, continuum level analytical and computational models were developed to determine the stresses generated in the coating system upon cool down to room temperature from maximum operating temperature accounting for temperature dependent material properties and spatial variation of TBCs properties due to sintering. The effect of sintering on the stresses in the thermally grown oxide layer (TGO) was also examined. Furthermore, the effect of stress dependent creep both in the bond coat and TGO during service at high temperature on the stress evolution was studied. In addition, rumpling and growth of TGO due to oxidation were also analyzed to gain insight into the failure behavior of the TBC system. ; This research was supported by the Government of Abu Dhabi to help fulfill the vision of the late President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan for sustainable development and empowerment of the UAE and humankind. ; Ingeniería Industrial

El artículo ofrece una visión de conjunto del sector agrario ecuatoriano. Incorpora, por una parte, el escenario esbozado por las conflictivas coyunturas políticas y económicas por las que ha atravesado el país. Por otra, el rechazo a cualquier imagen de inmovilismo o de homogeneización de la agricultura y/o del espacio rural ecuatoriano. Plantea asumir los retos y las incertidumbres que la globalización neoliberal impone al mundo agrario y al mundo rural del Ecuador, desde la perspectiva de las respuestas locales a los impactos derivados de procesos globales. ; The article offers a comprehensive vision of the Ecuadorian agrarian sector. On the one hand, it incorporates those conflicting political and economic conjunctures in which the country has been involved. On the other hand, it rejects any image of do-nothing policy or of homogenization of agriculture and/or the Ecuadorian rural space. In this sense, between 1980 and 2005, the Ecuadorian agrarian sector has drawn a trajectory marked by four facts: a) the consolidation of structures that continue being very unbalanced social and territorially, b) a less fast growth of the agricultural border, an increase of lands dedicated to grass, a reorientation of lands cultivated in benefit of exporting items or about urban massive demand, and a considerable increase of the cattle activity, c) a remarkable rise of the physical production that joins to a significant decrease of the prices perceived by the agriculturists in real terms, and d) a remarkable expansion of the agricultural exports, what is possible thanks to a sensible diminution of the unitary prices of the sold agro-alimentary goods to the outside.

It is well known that the metabolic activity of some microorganisms results in changes of pH of the culture medium, a phenomenon that can be used for detection and quantification of bacteria. However, conventional glass electrodes that are commonly used for pH measurements are bulky, fragile and expensive, which hinders their application in miniaturized systems and encouraged to the search for alternatives. In this work, two types of metal oxide pH sensors have been tested to detect the metabolic activity of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). These pH sensors were produced on silicon chips with platinum metal contacts, onto which thin layers of IrOx or Ta2O5 were incorporated by two different methods (electrodeposition and e-beam sputtering, respectively). In order to facilitate measurement in small sample volumes, an Ag/AgCl pseudo-reference was also screen-printed in the chip and was assayed in parallel to an external Ag/AgCl reference electrode. As it is shown, the developed sensors generated results indistinguishable from those provided by a conventional glass pH-electrode but could be operated in significantly smaller sample volumes. After optimization of the detection conditions, the metal oxide sensors are successfully applied for detection of increasing concentrations of viable E. coli, with detection of less than 103 cfu mL−1 in undiluted culture medium in just 5 h. ; Authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CTQ2014-54553-C3-1-R), and from European Union (Project ENIAC-ED-52 v161210). E.B. is supported by the Miguel Servet Program, funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant CP13/00052) and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work was partially financially supported by Government of Russian Federation, Grant 074-U01. ; Peer reviewed

An impedimetric sensor based on a three dimensional electrode array modified with concanavalin A (Con A) was used for label-free detection of bacterial endotoxin: lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli. The transducer permits the detection of the surface charge changes due to interaction of immobilized Con A biorecognition element and LPS of E. coli in test solution. The deposition of Con A on the surface was carried out using the layer-by-layer method with polyethyleneimine (PEI) polycation as an initial layer. The sensor surface characterization by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique allowed registering variations in superficial resistance provoked by surface charge changes and is demonstrated as an effective method to monitor sensor parameters at each modification step as well as to follow Con A – LPS reaction. In order to prevent non-specific adsorption of LPS on PEI covered surface different blocking strategies were tested to achieve the specific response between Con A and LPS. Results obtained in this work clearly show that blocking with bovine serum albumin (BSA) is not sufficient to prevent non-specific interactions of PEI and to ensure the selective biorecognition of LPS by Con A. To achieve more efficient PEI blocking a new method was proposed based on consecutive deposition of Con A-glycogen-Con A layers. Sensors modified with PEI-(Con A-Gly)2-Con A multilayers are shown to be highly sensitive, selective and reproducible. Presented biosensor is able to detect bacterial LPS in a very short detection time (20 min) with 2 μg mL−1 limit of detection, which is much lower than reported for other biosensors with Con A. ; The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (project CTQ2014-54553-C3-1-R and S.B.O. fellowship of FPI-MICINN program BES-2015-071250) co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (Feder) and from the Government of Russian Federation (Grant 074-U01). ; Peer reviewed

Experimental results on multi-wavelength conversion based on optical comb generation for optical switching and multicast applications are presented. All the newly generated channels showed good performance with clear and open eye diagrams. ; The work of R. Vilar is supported by the Spanish Government through an FPU grant. This work was partially supported by the BONE NoE (FP7-ICT-2007-1-216863) and by the European Project FIVER (FP7-ICT-2009-4-249142). ; Vilar Mateo, R.; Marques, C.; Nogueira, RI.; Teixeira, A.; Llorente Sáez, R.; Ramos Pascual, F. (2011). Flexible Optical-Comb-Based Multi-Wavelength Conversion for Optical Switching and Multicast. En Proceedings of the 2011 16th European Conference on Networks and Optical Communications (NOC 2011). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 196-199. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/61358 ; S ; 196 ; 199

Peri-implantitis, an inflammation caused by biofilm formation, constitutes a major cause of implant failure in dentistry. Thus, the detection of bacteria at the early steps of biofilm growth represents a powerful strategy to prevent implant-related infections. In this regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can be used as effective biological recognition elements to selectively detect the presence of bacteria. Thus, the aim of the present study was to combine the use of miniaturized and integrated impedimetric transducers and AMPs to obtain biosensors with high sensitivity to monitor bacterial colonization. Streptococcus sanguinis, which is one of the most prevalent strains in the onset of periodontal diseases, was used as a model of oral bacteria. To this end, a potent AMP derived from human lactoferrin was synthesized and covalently immobilized on interdigitated electrode arrays (IDEA). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to optimize and characterize the method of immobilization. Noteworthy, the interaction of Streptococcus sanguinis with AMP-coated sensors provoked significant changes in the impedance spectra, which were univocally associated with the presence of bacteria, proving the feasibility of our method. In this regard, the developed biosensor permits to detect the presence of bacteria at concentrations starting from 101 colony forming units (CFU) mL−1 in KCl and from 102 CFU mL−1 in artificial saliva. Moreover, the system was devoid of cytotoxicity for human fibroblasts. These results indicate that the proposed approach can be effective in the detection of initial stages of biofilm formation, and may be useful in the early prevention and treatment of peri-implantitis. ; The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Government through projects CTQ2014-54553-C3-1-R and MAT2015-67183-R, cofunded by the European Union through European Regional Development Funds, the Government of Catalonia (SGR2014 01333), the Technical University of Catalonia (fellowship of M.H.) and the European Union (Project ENIAC-ED-52v161210, and FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, REA Grant Agreement No. 321985). This work was partially supported by Government of Russian Federation, Grant 074-U01. ; Peer reviewed

Trastorno por consumo de opiáceos; Programas de tratamiento de sustitución opiáceos; Analisis de decisión multicriterio; Experimento de elecciones discretas ; Trastorn per consum d'opiacis; Programes de tractament de substitució opiacis; Anàlisi de decisió multicriteri; Experiment d'eleccions discretes ; Opioid use disorder; Opioid substitution treatment programs; Multi-criteria decision analysis; Discrete elections experiment ; La utilización de nuevas intervenciones sanitarias con un innovador perfil de eficacia y seguridad, pero con mayor impacto presupuestario respecto a tratamientos utilizados anteriormente, se asocia con un aumento de los gastos sanitarios. Por tanto, en la toma de decisiones aparece la necesidad de utilizar criterios adicionales a los tradicionales de evidencia clínica, entre los que destaca la evaluación de la eficiencia, que establece la relación entre los costes y los resultados en salud de las nuevas opciones terapéuticas. En este sentido, los Sistemas Sanitarios basados en el Valor tienen como objetivo fundamental conseguir los mejores resultados en salud para los pacientes, a un coste aceptable y sostenible para estos sistemas. De ello, se deriva que resulte fundamental medir y comparar los resultados en salud de las estrategias utilizadas en una determinada patología (Porter, 2010; McMahon, 2012). Sin embargo, hay otros criterios adicionales en la toma de decisiones, como son la relevancia social, prevalencia e incidencia de las enfermedades, el grado de innovación, la efectividad comparada, las necesidades médicas no cubiertas, las decisiones individuales o preferencias de los pacientes, la satisfacción con el tratamiento, el número de pacientes afectados, el empoderamiento de los pacientes y los principios de equidad. Es decir, en muchos casos, considerando el importante número de aspectos a valorar, hay amplias diferencias de criterio en el abordaje de una enfermedad entre los profesionales sanitarios que la tratan, los decisores o gestores políticos que aportan recursos para ese tratamiento y los pacientes que la padecen. ; The adoption of new health care interventions offering innovative profiles regarding efficacy and safety but with a greater financial impact compared to previously used treatments is associated with increased health care costs. Other criteria alongside traditional clinical evidence are thus necessary for effective decision making. A prime example of this is health care efficiency assessment, with which the relationship between the health outcomes of new therapeutic options and their costs can be established. The fundamental aim of a value-based health system is to achieve the best health outcomes for patients at an acceptable and sustainable cost to the system. It is thus essential to measure and compare the health-related results of the strategies used with a given pathology (Porter, 2010, McMahon & Chopra, 2012). However, there are other additional criteria in decision making, such as social relevance, prevalence and incidence of the diseases, degree of innovation, comparative effectiveness, medical needs not covered, individual decisions or patient preferences, satisfaction with treatment, number of patients affected, empowerment of patients and principles of fairness. That is to say, considering the large number of criteria involved in any given disease and how to approach it, there will be substantial differences of opinion in many cases among the HCPs who treat it, the decision-makers or political actors who provide resources for its treatment, and the patients who suffer it. ; Para el desarrollo de este proyecto, Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research Iberia (PORIB), una consultora independiente especializada en Evaluación de Intervenciones Sanitarias, ha recibido financiación no condicionada a resultados, por parte de Indivior España.

<b><i>Aim:</i></b> The aim of the study was to assess the acceptance of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) to switching their opioid dependence treatment (ODT) for a prolonged-release buprenorphine (PRB) injection according to their prior ODT (buprenorphine/naloxone [B/N] or methadone). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This was an observational, retrospective/cross-sectional, multicentre study of adult patients diagnosed with OUD on ODT. Data collected from diaries were analysed to know their interest and opinion on PRB. Questions with fixed response options were included, and several Likert scales were used. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 98 patients were enrolled (B/N: 50.0%, methadone: 50.0%). The mean age was 46.9 ± 8.43 years and 79.6% were males. PRB was similarly perceived by both groups in most variables analysed, receiving a mean score of 7.2/10 (B/N: 7.4, methadone: 7.0; <i>p</i> = 0.520), and approximately 65% of patients said they were willing to switch to PRB (B/N: 63.3%, methadone: 65.3%; <i>p</i> = 0.833). Of these, a higher percentage in the B/N group considered that switching would be easy/very easy (B/N: 90.3%, methadone: 46.9%; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) and that they would start PRB when available (B/N: 64.5%, methadone: 34.3%; <i>p</i> = 0.005). More than 90% would prefer the monthly injection (B/N: 93.6%, methadone: 100%; <i>p</i> = 0.514). One-third of patients in both groups were unsure/would not switch their ODT to PRB (B/N: 36.7%, methadone: 34.7%; <i>p</i> = 0.833). The main reason was administration by injection. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Two-thirds of patients would switch their treatment for PRB, and most patients on B/N considered that switching would be easy. PRB could be a suitable alternative for OUD management.

Legionella pneumophila is responsible for Legionnaires' disease (LD). Its detection in both environmental and clinical samples is mainly performed by culture plate method which requires up to 10 days to obtain results. Nowadays, there are commercial antibodies against this bacterium, but they have not been tested against all subgroups of L. pneumophila sg 1 or serogroups 1–16 or their cross-reactions with other non-Legionella bacteria. Indeed, many of these antibodies became available when only 8 serogroups of L. pneumophila had been described. We tested 7 antibodies and found that 2 (Mab 8/5 and OBT) specifically detected all the subgroups of L. pneumophila sg 1, one without cross-reactions (Mab8/5). Moreover, the LP3IIG2 antibody detected almost all serogroups tested with lower rates of cross-reactivity, resulting in a specific sensitive antibody for the detection of L. pneumophila. LP3IIG2 presented higher rate of cross-reactivity against respiratory non-Legionella isolates, thereby contraindicating its clinical applicability. ; The authors acknowledge the sponsorship by Gas Natural Fenosa and financial support from CIBER and CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. N.U. (TECSPR15-1-0046) and O.C (TECSPR14-2-0034) have received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union (FP7/2007–2013), TECNIOspring program from the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Government of Catalonia (ACCIÓ). ; Peer reviewed

1746 1752 29 12 ; S ; This paper was published in JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of OSA. The paper can be found at the following URL on the OSA website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JLT.2011.2135839. Systematic or multiple reproduction or distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means is prohibited and is subject to penalties under law. [EN] Different optical filtering scenarios involving microwave photonic phase shifters based on semiconductor optical amplifiers are investigated numerically as well as experimentally with respect to noise performance. Investigations on the role of the modulation depth and number of elements in cascaded shifting stages are also carried out. Suppression of the noise level by more than 5 dB has been achieved in schemes based on band-pass optical filtering when three phase shifting stages are cascaded. This work was supported in part by the EU FP7 within project GOSPEL, the Excellency Award Programme GVA PROMETEO 2008/092 and the Plan Nacional I+D TEC 2007-68065-C03-01. Lloret Soler, JA.; Ramos Pascual, F.; Xue, W.; Sancho Durá, J.; Gasulla Mestre, I.; Sales Maicas, S.; Mork, J. (2011). The Influence of Optical Filtering on the Noise Performance of Microwave Photonic Phase Shifters Based on SOAs. Journal of Lightwave Technology. 29(12):1746-1752. https://doi.org/10.1109/JLT.2011.2135839