Unsupervised system to classify SO2 pollutant concentrations in Salamanca, Mexico

Salamanca is cataloged as one of the most polluted cities in Mexico. In order to observe the behavior and clarify the influence of wind parameters on the Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) concentrations a Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) Neural Network have been implemented at three monitoring locations for the period from January 1 to December 31, 2006. The maximum and minimum daily values of SO2 concentrations measured during the year of 2006 were correlated with the wind parameters of the same period. The main advantages of the SOM Neural Network is that it allows to integrate data from different sensors and provide readily interpretation results. Especially, it is powerful mapping and classification tool, which others information in an easier way and facilitates the task of establishing an order of priority between the distinguished groups of concentrations depending on their need for further research or remediation actions in subsequent management steps. For each monitoring location, SOM classifications were evaluated with respect to pollution levels established by Health Authorities. The classification system can help to establish a better air quality monitoring methodology that is essential for assessing the effectiveness of imposed pollution controls, strategies, and facilitate the pollutants reduction.

Graph based study of allergen cross-reactivity of plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) using microarray in a multicenter study.

The study of cross-reactivity in allergy is key to both understanding. the allergic response of many patients and providing them with a rational treatment In the present study, protein microarrays and a co-sensitization graph approach were used in conjunction with an allergen microarray immunoassay. This enabled us to include a wide number of proteins and a large number of patients, and to study sensitization profiles among members of the LTP family. Fourteen LTPs from the most frequent plant food-induced allergies in the geographical area studied were printed into a microarray specifically designed for this research. 212 patients with fruit allergy and 117 food-tolerant pollen allergic subjects were recruited from seven regions of Spain with different pollen profiles, and their sera were tested with allergen microarray. This approach has proven itself to be a good tool to study cross-reactivity between members of LTP family, and could become a useful strategy to analyze other families of allergens.

The involvement of thaumatin-like proteins in plant food cross-reactivity: a multicenter study using a specific protein microarray.

Cross-reactivity of plant foods is an important phenomenon in allergy, with geographical variations with respect to the number and prevalence of the allergens involved in this process, whose complexity requires detailed studies. We have addressed the role of thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) in cross-reactivity between fruit and pollen allergies. A representative panel of 16 purified TLPs was printed onto an allergen microarray. The proteins selected belonged to the sources most frequently associated with peach allergy in representative regions of Spain. Sera from two groups of well characterized patients, one with allergy to Rosaceae fruit (FAG) and another against pollens but tolerant to food-plant allergens (PAG), were obtained from seven geographical areas with different environmental pollen profiles. Cross-reactivity between members of this family was demonstrated by inhibition assays. Only 6 out of 16 purified TLPs showed noticeable allergenic activity in the studied populations. Pru p 2.0201, the peach TLP (41%), chestnut TLP (24%) and plane pollen TLP (22%) proved to be allergens of probable relevance to fruit allergy, being mainly associated with pollen sensitization, and strongly linked to specific geographical areas such as Barcelona, Bilbao, the Canary Islands and Madrid. The patients exhibited mayor que50% positive response to Pru p 2.0201 and to chestnut TLP in these specific areas. Therefore, their recognition patterns were associated with the geographical area, suggesting a role for pollen in the sensitization of these allergens. Finally, the co-sensitizations of patients considering pairs of TLP allergens were analyzed by using the co-sensitization graph associated with an allergen microarray immunoassay. Our data indicate that TLPs are significant allergens in plant food allergy and should be considered when diagnosing and treating pollen-food allergy.

Emisiones de CO, CO2 y SO2 durante procesos de calentamiento de coque y carbón compactado y no compactado

La autoignición de sustancias pulverulentas sigue siendo un gran problema hoy en día, causando una gran cantidad de pérdidas humanas y en las instalaciones. Este proceso es muy común y ocurre en todas las industrias en las que se generan y almacenan productos en forma de polvo, pero especialmente en la industria del carbón. Un factor importante en la autoignición de parvas de almacenamiento de carbón es la emisión de gases que se produce debido a su calentamiento, por lo que es importante conocer qué tipo de gases se emiten y qué tipo de almacenamiento puede hacer que esta emisión disminuya, almacenamiento compactado o no compactado. Para contestar a estas cuestiones se han analizado las emisiones de CO, CO2 y SO2 en muestras de coque y carbón a diferentes temperaturas y con diferentes pesos y compactación. Los resultados de este estudio concluyen la gran influencia de estos factores en estas emisiones. Gracias a estos resultados se ha propuesto un método de extrapolación para determinar la cantidad de sustancias emitidas y sus caudales en volúmenes reales de almacenamiento.

Sensitization profiles and cross-reactivity among plant allergens. Molecular mechanisms of food allergy development and the role of enhancers

La prevalencia de las alergias está aumentando desde mediados del siglo XX, y se estima que actualmente afectan a alrededor del 2-8 % de la población, pero las causas de este aumento aún no están claras. Encontrar el origen del mecanismo por el cual una proteína inofensiva se convierte en capaz de inducir una respuesta alérgica es de vital importancia para prevenir y tratar estas enfermedades. Aunque la caracterización de alérgenos relevantes ha ayudado a mejorar el manejo clínico y a aclarar los mecanismos básicos de las reacciones alérgicas, todavía queda un largo camino para establecer el origen de la alergenicidad y reactividad cruzada. El objetivo de esta tesis ha sido caracterizar las bases moleculares de la alergenicidad tomando como modelo dos familias de panalergenos (proteínas de transferencia de lípidos –LTPs- y taumatinas –TLPs-) y estudiando los mecanismos que median la sensibilización y la reactividad cruzada para mejorar tanto el diagnóstico como el tratamiento de la alergia. Para ello, se llevaron a cabo dos estrategias: estudiar la reactividad cruzada de miembros de familias de panalérgenos; y estudiar moléculas-co-adyuvantes que pudieran favorecer la capacidad alergénica de dichas proteínas. Para estudiar la reactividad cruzada entre miembros de la misma familia de proteínas, se seleccionaron LTPs y TLPs, descritas como alergenos, tomando como modelo la alergia a frutas. Por otra parte, se estudiaron los perfiles de sensibilización a alérgenos de trigo relacionados con el asma del panadero, la enfermedad ocupacional más relevante de origen alérgico. Estos estudios se llevaron a cabo estandarizando ensayos tipo microarrays con alérgenos y analizando los resultados por la teoría de grafos. En relación al estudiar moléculas-co-adyuvantes que pudieran favorecer la capacidad alergénica de dichas proteínas, se llevaron a cabo estudios sobre la interacción de los alérgenos alimentarios con células del sistema inmune humano y murino y el epitelio de las mucosas, analizando la importancia de moléculas co-transportadas con los alérgenos en el desarrollo de una respuesta Th2. Para ello, Pru p 3(LTP y alérgeno principal del melocotón) se selección como modelo para llevarlo a cabo. Por otra parte, se analizó el papel de moléculas activadoras del sistema inmune producidas por patógenos en la inducción de alergias alimentarias seleccionando el modelo kiwi-alternaria, y el papel de Alt a 1, alérgeno mayor de dicho hongo, en la sensibilización a Act d 2, alérgeno mayor de kiwi. En resumen, el presente trabajo presenta una investigación innovadora aportando resultados de gran utilidad tanto para la mejora del diagnóstico como para nuevas investigaciones sobre la alergia y el esclarecimiento final de los mecanismos que caracterizan esta enfermedad. ABSTRACT Allergies are increasing their prevalence from mid twentieth century, and they are currently estimated to affect around 2-8% of the population but the underlying causes of this increase remain still elusive. The understanding of the mechanism by which a harmless protein becomes capable of inducing an allergic response provides us the basis to prevent and treat these diseases. Although the characterization of relevant allergens has led to improved clinical management and has helped to clarify the basic mechanisms of allergic reactions, it seems justified in aspiring to molecularly dissecting these allergens to establish the structural basis of their allergenicity and cross-reactivity. The aim of this thesis was to characterize the molecular basis of the allergenicity of model proteins belonging to different families (Lipid Transfer Proteins –LTPs-, and Thaumatin-like Proteins –TLPs-) in order to identify mechanisms that mediate sensitization and cross reactivity for developing new strategies in the management of allergy, both diagnosis and treatment, in the near future. With this purpose, two strategies have been conducted: studies of cross-reactivity among panallergen families and molecular studies of the contribution of cofactors in the induction of the allergic response by these panallergens. Following the first strategy, we studied the cross-reactivity among members of two plant panallergens (LTPs , Lipid Transfer Proteins , and TLPs , Thaumatin-like Proteins) using the peach allergy as a model. Similarly, we characterized the sensitization profiles to wheat allergens in baker's asthma development, the most relevant occupational disease. These studies were performed using allergen microarrays and the graph theory for analyzing the results. Regarding the second approach, we analyzed the interaction of plant allergens with immune and epithelial cells. To perform these studies , we examined the importance of ligands and co-transported molecules of plant allergens in the development of Th2 responses. To this end, Pru p 3, nsLTP (non-specific Lipid Transfer Protein) and peach major allergen, was selected as a model to investigate its interaction with cells of the human and murine immune systems as well as with the intestinal epithelium and the contribution of its ligand in inducing an allergic response was studied. Moreover, we analyzed the role of pathogen associated molecules in the induction of food allergy. For that, we selected the kiwi- alternaria system as a model and the role of Alt a 1 , major allergen of the fungus, in the development of Act d 2-sensitization was studied. In summary, this work presents an innovative research providing useful results for improving diagnosis and leading to further research on allergy and the final clarification of the mechanisms that characterize this disease.

Nuclear Data Uncertainty Propagation to Reactivity Coefficients of a Sodium Fast Reactor

The assessment of the uncertainty levels on the design and safety parameters for the innovative European Sodium Fast Reactor (ESFR) is mandatory. Some of these relevant safety quantities are the Doppler and void reactivity coefficients, whose uncertainties are quantified. Besides, the nuclear reaction data where an improvement will certainly benefit the design accuracy are identified. This work has been performed with the SCALE 6.1 codes suite and its multigroups cross sections library based on ENDF/B-VII.0 evaluation.

Evaluation of reactivity monitoring techniques at the Yalina – Booster subcritical facility

La gestión de los residuos radiactivos de vida larga producidos en los reactores nucleares constituye uno de los principales desafíos de la tecnología nuclear en la actualidad. Una posible opción para su gestión es la transmutación de los nucleidos de vida larga en otros de vida más corta. Los sistemas subcríticos guiados por acelerador (ADS por sus siglas en inglés) son una de las tecnologías en desarrollo para logar este objetivo. Un ADS consiste en un reactor nuclear subcrítico mantenido en un estado estacionario mediante una fuente externa de neutrones guiada por un acelerador de partículas. El interés de estos sistemas radica en su capacidad para ser cargados con combustibles que tengan contenidos de actínidos minoritarios mayores que los reactores críticos convencionales, y de esta manera, incrementar las tasas de trasmutación de estos elementos, que son los principales responsables de la radiotoxicidad a largo plazo de los residuos nucleares. Uno de los puntos clave que han sido identificados para la operación de un ADS a escala industrial es la necesidad de monitorizar continuamente la reactividad del sistema subcrítico durante la operación. Por esta razón, desde los años 1990 se han realizado varios experimentos en conjuntos subcríticos de potencia cero (MUSE, RACE, KUCA, Yalina, GUINEVERE/FREYA) con el fin de validar experimentalmente estas técnicas. En este contexto, la presente tesis se ocupa de la validación de técnicas de monitorización de la reactividad en el conjunto subcrítico Yalina-Booster. Este conjunto pertenece al Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research (JIPNR-Sosny) de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bielorrusia. Dentro del proyecto EUROTRANS del 6º Programa Marco de la UE, en el año 2008 se ha realizado una serie de experimentos en esta instalación concernientes a la monitorización de la reactividad bajo la dirección del CIEMAT. Se han realizado dos tipos de experimentos: experimentos con una fuente de neutrones pulsada (PNS) y experimentos con una fuente continua con interrupciones cortas (beam trips). En el caso de los primeros, experimentos con fuente pulsada, existen dos técnicas fundamentales para medir la reactividad, conocidas como la técnica del ratio bajo las áreas de los neutrones inmediatos y retardados (o técnica de Sjöstrand) y la técnica de la constante de decaimiento de los neutrones inmediatos. Sin embargo, varios experimentos han mostrado la necesidad de aplicar técnicas de corrección para tener en cuenta los efectos espaciales y energéticos presentes en un sistema real y obtener valores precisos de la reactividad. En esta tesis, se han investigado estas correcciones mediante simulaciones del sistema con el código de Montecarlo MCNPX. Esta investigación ha servido también para proponer una versión generalizada de estas técnicas donde se buscan relaciones entre la reactividad el sistema y las cantidades medidas a través de simulaciones de Monte Carlo. El segundo tipo de experimentos, experimentos con una fuente continua e interrupciones del haz, es más probable que sea empleado en un ADS industrial. La versión generalizada de las técnicas desarrolladas para los experimentos con fuente pulsada también ha sido aplicada a los resultados de estos experimentos. Además, el trabajo presentado en esta tesis es la primera vez, en mi conocimiento, en que la reactividad de un sistema subcrítico se monitoriza durante la operación con tres técnicas simultáneas: la técnica de la relación entre la corriente y el flujo (current-to-flux), la técnica de desconexión rápida de la fuente (source-jerk) y la técnica del decaimiento de los neutrones inmediatos. Los casos analizados incluyen la variación rápida de la reactividad del sistema (inserción y extracción de las barras de control) y la variación rápida de la fuente de neutrones (interrupción larga del haz y posterior recuperación). ABSTRACT The management of long-lived radioactive wastes produced by nuclear reactors constitutes one of the main challenges of nuclear technology nowadays. A possible option for its management consists in the transmutation of long lived nuclides into shorter lived ones. Accelerator Driven Subcritical Systems (ADS) are one of the technologies in development to achieve this goal. An ADS consists in a subcritical nuclear reactor maintained in a steady state by an external neutron source driven by a particle accelerator. The interest of these systems lays on its capacity to be loaded with fuels having larger contents of minor actinides than conventional critical reactors, and in this way, increasing the transmutation rates of these elements, that are the main responsible of the long-term radiotoxicity of nuclear waste. One of the key points that have been identified for the operation of an industrial-scale ADS is the need of continuously monitoring the reactivity of the subcritical system during operation. For this reason, since the 1990s a number of experiments have been conducted in zero-power subcritical assemblies (MUSE, RACE, KUCA, Yalina, GUINEVERE/FREYA) in order to experimentally validate these techniques. In this context, the present thesis is concerned with the validation of reactivity monitoring techniques at the Yalina-Booster subcritical assembly. This assembly belongs to the Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research (JIPNR-Sosny) of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Experiments concerning reactivity monitoring have been performed in this facility under the EUROTRANS project of the 6th EU Framework Program in year 2008 under the direction of CIEMAT. Two types of experiments have been carried out: experiments with a pulsed neutron source (PNS) and experiments with a continuous source with short interruptions (beam trips). For the case of the first ones, PNS experiments, two fundamental techniques exist to measure the reactivity, known as the prompt-to-delayed neutron area-ratio technique (or Sjöstrand technique) and the prompt neutron decay constant technique. However, previous experiments have shown the need to apply correction techniques to take into account the spatial and energy effects present in a real system and thus obtain accurate values for the reactivity. In this thesis, these corrections have been investigated through simulations of the system with the Monte Carlo code MCNPX. This research has also served to propose a generalized version of these techniques where relationships between the reactivity of the system and the measured quantities are obtained through Monte Carlo simulations. The second type of experiments, with a continuous source with beam trips, is more likely to be employed in an industrial ADS. The generalized version of the techniques developed for the PNS experiments has also been applied to the result of these experiments. Furthermore, the work presented in this thesis is the first time, to my knowledge, that the reactivity of a subcritical system has been monitored during operation simultaneously with three different techniques: the current-to-flux, the source-jerk and the prompt neutron decay techniques. The cases analyzed include the fast variation of the system reactivity (insertion and extraction of a control rod) and the fast variation of the neutron source (long beam interruption and subsequent recovery).