Evaluating laser-driven Bremsstrahlung radiation sources for imaging and analysis of nuclear waste packages

A small scale sample nuclear waste package, consisting of a 28 mm diameter uranium penny encased in grout, was imaged by absorption contrast radiography using a single pulse exposure from an X-ray source driven by a high-power laser. The Vulcan laser was used to deliver a focused pulse of photons to a tantalum foil, in order to generate a bright burst of highly penetrating X-rays (with energy >500 keV), with a source size of <0.5 mm. BAS-TR and BAS-SR image plates were used for image capture, alongside a newly developed Thalium doped Caesium Iodide scintillator-based detector coupled to CCD chips. The uranium penny was clearly resolved to sub-mm accuracy over a 30 cm2 scan area from a single shot acquisition. In addition, neutron generation was demonstrated in situ with the X-ray beam, with a single shot, thus demonstrating the potential for multi-modal criticality testing of waste materials. This feasibility study successfully demonstrated non-destructive radiography of encapsulated, high density, nuclear material. With recent developments of high-power laser systems, to 10 Hz operation, a laser-driven multi-modal beamline for waste monitoring applications is envisioned.

Comparación de los cambios en la composición corporal entre hombres y mujeres tres años después de una intervención de pérdida de peso

Evaluar los cambios en la composición corporal entre hombres y mujeres con sobrepeso y obesidad, 3 años después de finalizar la intervención de pérdida de peso de 6 meses.

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in adolescents: Results at two years including psychosocial aspects

International audience

Model predictive control applied to a supply chain management problem

Supply chains are ubiquitous in any commercial delivery systems. The exchange of goods and services, from different supply points to distinct destinations scattered along a given geographical area, requires the management of stocks and vehicles fleets in order to minimize costs while maintaining good quality services. Even if the operating conditions remain constant over a given time horizon, managing a supply chain is a very complex task. Its complexity increases exponentially with both the number of network nodes and the dynamical operational changes. Moreover, the management system must be adaptive in order to easily cope with several disturbances such as machinery and vehicles breakdowns or changes in demand. This work proposes the use of a model predictive control paradigm in order to tackle the above referred issues. The obtained simulation results suggest that this strategy promotes an easy tasks rescheduling in case of disturbances or anticipated changes in operating conditions. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017

Paraquat-loaded alginate/chitosan nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization and soil sorption studies

Agrochemicals are amongst the contaminants most widely encountered in surface and subterranean hydrological systems. They comprise a variety of molecules, with properties that confer differing degrees of persistence and mobility in the environment, as well as different toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic potentials, which can affect non-target organisms including man. In this work, alginate/chitosan nanoparticles were prepared as a carrier system for the herbicide paraquat. The preparation and physicochemical characterization of the nanoparticles was followed by evaluation of zeta potential, pH, size and polydispersion. The techniques employed included transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The formulation presented a size distribution of 635 +/- 12 nm, polydispersion of 0.518, zeta potential of -22.8 +/- 2.3 mV and association efficiency of 74.2%. There were significant differences between the release profiles of free paraquat and the herbicide associated with the alginate/chitosan nanoparticles. Tests showed that soil sorption of paraquat, either free or associated with the nanoparticles. was dependent on the quantity of organic matter present. The results presented in this work show that association of paraquat with alginate/chitosan nanoparticles alters the release profile of the herbicide, as well as its interaction with the soil, indicating that this system could be an effective means of reducing negative impacts caused by paraquat. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Construction of effective disposable biosensors for point of care testing of nitrite

© 2015. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Índice de Bienestar Socio-Económico (IBSE) para el Área Metropolitana de San Salvador. Propuesta Metodológica y su Aplicación

El objetivo principal de la presente investigación es elaborar un Índice de Bienestar Socio-Económico para el Área Metropolitana de San Salvador y para los municipios que lo integran, a partir de una metodología multidimensional que refleje íntegramente las condiciones socio-económicas de la población en estudio; sustentado en la base de la identificación de variables representativas, la construcción de indicadores fidedignos de las dimensiones económica y social, así como la aplicación metodológica en el área citada. La población en estudio está constituida por 14 municipios que representan el Área Metropolitana de San Salvador, se localiza en la zona central del país, se extiende en una superficie que cubre 589.91 Km², equivalentes al 3% del territorio nacional. En términos de población al 2014, concentra 1,760,057 habitantes, (es el 27.50% del total de habitantes a nivel nacional), posee una densidad de 2,984 Hab/Km² y un área urbana de 175.28 Km². El tipo de investigación de la presente se constituye básicamente a partir del análisis descriptivo de las condiciones económicas y sociales de las familias que residen en el área estudiada; aplicada en la medida que busca la recopilación de información para su interpretación; sincrónica, al estudiarse un periodo de tiempo corto, cuyos resultados no pueden generalizarle para otros años fuera del periodo de estudio; y cuantitativa al hacer uso de las herramientas de la matemática y la estadística. Se intenta buscar respuesta a las interrogantes de ¿Cómo elaborar una metodología de un índice que permita cuantificar el bienestar socio-económico adecuado a la realidad salvadoreña para la formulación y ejecución de políticas económicas y proyectos sociales para el desarrollo de la población de las localidades? Asimismo, ¿Cuál es el grado de bienestar de la población que vive en el Área Metropolitana de San Salvador en base al Índice de Bienestar Socio-Económico elaborado en esta investigación? .Temporalmente, el periodo de estudio de la investigación es de seis años, desde el año 2009 hasta el año 2014 y la fuente principal de la información es la Encuesta de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples elaborada anualmente por la Dirección General de Estadísticas y Censos. Particularmente, la propuesta metodológica que se presenta en este estudio constituye una herramienta distinta y fiable ya que se intentan adaptar las características de la población a partir de una lección específica de las variables e indicadores adaptadas a la realidad del área investigada. A diferencia de las propuestas metodológicas que se utilizan de diferentes organismos multinacionales, donde las metodologías se vuelven rígidas y en dependencia de la disponibilidad y confiabilidad de información local y nacional de las regiones, volviéndose en el principal problema de estudio para investigaciones en las que se intenta describir y comparar los niveles de desarrollo y bienestar de las regiones. En términos generales, la presente investigación busca convertirse en un recurso metodológico que se pueda emular en otras regiones de El Salvador y fuera del país; acoplando las particularidades de la población a estudiarse y representando una herramienta de análisis y base de políticas locales y nacionales para el mejoramiento del bienestar socioeconómico de la población.

Physico-chemical characterization of metal-doped bone chars and their adsorption behavior for water defluoridation

New bone chars for fluoride adsorption from drinking water have been synthetized via metallic doping using aluminum and iron salts. A detailed statistical analysis of the metal doping process using the signal-to-noise ratios from Taguchi's experimental designs and its impact on the fluoride adsorption properties of modified bone chars have been performed. The best conditions, including the proper metallic salt, for metal doping were identified to improve the fluoride uptakes of modified bone chars. Results showed that the fluoride adsorption properties of bone chars can be enhanced up to 600% using aluminum sulfate for the surface modification. This aluminum-based adsorbent showed an adsorption capacity of 31 mg/g, which outperformed the fluoride uptakes reported for several adsorbents. Surface interactions involved in the defluoridation process were established using FTIR, DRX and XPS analysis. Defluoridation using the metal-doped bone chars occurred via an ion exchange process between fluoride ions and the hydroxyl groups on the adsorbent surface, whereas the Al(OH)xFy, FexFy, and CaF2 interactions could play also an important role in the removal process. These metal-doped adsorbents anticipate a promising behavior in water treatment, especially in developing countries where the efficiency – cost tradeoff is crucial for implementing new defluoridation technologies.

Improved mechanical stability of HKUST-1 in confined nanospace

One of the main concerns in the technological application of several metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) relates to their structural instability under pressure (after a conforming step). Here we report for the first time that mechanical instability can be highly improved via nucleation and growth of MOF nanocrystals in the confined nanospace of activated carbons.

Design, synthesis and antiproliferative activity of hydroxyacetamide derivatives against HeLa cervical carcinoma cell and breast cancer cell line

Purpose: To design and develop a new series of histone deacetylase inhibitors (FP1 - FP12) and evaluate their inhibitory activity against hydroxyacetamide (HDAC) enzyme mixture-derived HeLa cervical carcinoma cell and MCF-7. Methods: The designed molecules (FP1 - FP12) were docked using AUTODOCK 1.4.6. FP3 and FP8 showed higher interaction comparable to the prototypical HDACI. The designed series of 2-[[(3- Phenyl/substituted Phenyl-[4-{(4-(substituted phenyl)ethylidine-2-Phenyl-1,3-Imidazol-5-One}](-4H- 1,2,4-triazol-5-yl)sulfanyl]-N-hydroxyacetamide derivatives (FP1-FP12) was synthesized by merging 2- [(4-amino-3-phenyl-4H- 1, 2, 4-triazol-5-yl) sulfanyl]-N-hydroxyacetamide and 2-{[4-amino-3-(2- hydroxyphenyl)-4H-1,2, 4-triazol-5-yl]sulfanyl}-N hydroxyacetamide derivatives with aromatic substituted oxazolone. The biological activity of the synthesized molecule (FP1-FP12) was evaluated against HDAC enzyme mixture-derived HeLa cervical carcinoma cell and breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Results: HDAC inhibitory activity of FP10 showed higher IC50 (half-maximal concentration inhibitory activity) of 0.09 μM, whereas standard SAHA molecule showed IC50 of 0.057 μM. On the other hand, FP9 exhibited higher GI50 (50 % of maximal concentration that inhibited cell proliferation) of 22.8 μM against MCF-7 cell line, compared with the standard, adriamycin, with GI50 of (-) 50.2 μM. Conclusion: Synthesis, spectral characterization, and evaluation of HDAC inhibition activity and in vitro anticancer evaluation of novel hydroxyacetamide derivatives against MCF-7 cell line have been achieved. The findings indicate the emergence of potentialanticancer compounds.

Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus by free-living wild animals in Spain

The presence of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was analyzed in different free-living wild animals to assess the genetic diversity and predominant genotypes on each animal species. Samples were taken from the skin and/or nares, and isolates were characterized by spa typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The proportion of MSSA carriers were 5.00, 22.93, 19.78, and 17.67% in Eurasian griffon vulture, Iberian ibex, red deer, and wild boar, respectively (P = 0.057). A higher proportion of isolates (P = 0.000) were recovered from nasal samples (78.51%) than skin samples (21.49%), but the 9.26% of red deer and 18.25% of wild boar would have been undetected if only nasal samples had been tested. Sixty-three different spa types were identified, including 25 new spa types. The most common were t528 (43.59%) in Iberian ibex, t548 and t11212 (15.79% and 14.04%) in red deer, and t3750 (36.11%) in wild boar. By MLST, 27 STs were detected, of which 12 had not been described previously. The most frequent were ST581 for Iberian ibex (48.72%), ST425 for red deer (29.82%), and ST2328 for wild boar (42.36%). Isolates from Eurasian griffon vulture belong to ST133. Host specificity has been observed for the most frequent spa types and STs (P = 0.000). The highest resistance percentage was found against benzylpenicillin (average, 22.2%), although most of the S. aureus isolates were susceptible to all antimicrobial tested. Basically, MSSA isolates were different from those MRSA isolates previously detected in the same animal species.

Muscle-related polymorphisms (MSTN rs1805086 and ACTN3 rs1815739) are not associated with exceptional longevity in Japanese centenarians

Myostatin (MSTN) and α-actinin-3 (ACTN3) genes are potentially associated with preservation of muscle mass and oxidative capacity, respectively. To explore the possible role of these genes in exceptional longevity (EL), the allele/genotype frequency distribution of two polymorphisms in MSTN (rs1805086, K153R) and ACTN3 (rs1815739, R577X) was studied in Japanese centenarians of both sexes (n = 742) and healthy controls (n = 814). The rs1805086 R-allele (theoretically associated with muscle mass preservation at the expense of oxidative capacity) was virtually absent in the two groups, where genotype distributions were virtually identical. Likewise, no differences in allele (p = 0.838 (women); p = 0.193 (men); p = 0.587 (both sexes)) or genotype distribution were found between groups for ACTN3 rs1815739 (p = 0.975 (women), p = 0.136 (men), p = 0.752 (both sexes)). Of note, however, the frequency of the rs1805086 R-allele observed here is the lowest been reported to date whereas that of the 'highly oxidative/efficient' rs1815739 XX genotype in Japanese male centenarians (33.3%) or supercentenarians of both sexes (≥110 years) are the highest (32.6%), for a non-American population. No definite conclusions can be inferred in relation to EL owing to its lack of association with both rs1815739 and rs1805086. However, it cannot be excluded that these gene variants could eventually be related to a "healthy" metabolic phenotype in the Japanese population. Further research might determine if such metabolic profile is among the factors that can potentially predispose these individuals to live longer than Caucasians and what genetic variants might be actually involved.

Eulerian-Lagrangian definition of coarse bed-load transport: Theory and verification with low-cost inertial measurement units

Fluvial sediment transport is controlled by hydraulics, sediment properties and arrangement, and flow history across a range of time scales. This physical complexity has led to ambiguous definition of the reference frame (Lagrangian or Eulerian) in which sediment transport is analysed. A general Eulerian-Lagrangian approach accounts for inertial characteristics of particles in a Lagrangian (particle fixed) frame, and for the hydrodynamics in an independent Eulerian frame. The necessary Eulerian-Lagrangian transformations are simplified under the assumption of an ideal Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), rigidly attached at the centre of the mass of a sediment particle. Real, commercially available IMU sensors can provide high frequency data on accelerations and angular velocities (hence forces and energy) experienced by grains during entrainment and motion, if adequately customized. IMUs are subjected to significant error accu- mulation but they can be used for statistical parametrisation of an Eulerian-Lagrangian model, for coarse sediment particles and over the temporal scale of individual entrainment events. In this thesis an Eulerian-Lagrangian model is introduced and evaluated experimentally. Absolute inertial accelerations were recorded at a 4 Hz frequency from a spherical instrumented particle (111 mm diameter and 2383 kg/m3 density) in a series of entrainment threshold experiments on a fixed idealised bed. The grain-top inertial acceleration entrainment threshold was approximated at 44 and 51 mg for slopes 0.026 and 0.037 respectively. The saddle inertial acceleration entrainment threshold was at 32 and 25 mg for slopes 0.044 and 0.057 respectively. For the evaluation of the complete Eulerian-Lagrangian model two prototype sensors are presented: an idealised (spherical) with a diameter of 90 mm and an ellipsoidal with axes 100, 70 and 30 mm. Both are instrumented with a complete IMU, capable of sampling 3D inertial accelerations and 3D angular velocities at 50 Hz. After signal analysis, the results can be used to parametrize sediment movement but they do not contain positional information. The two sensors (spherical and ellipsoidal) were tested in a series of entrainment experiments, similar to the evaluation of the 111 mm prototype, for a slope of 0.02. The spherical sensor entrained at discharges of 24.8 ± 1.8 l/s while the same threshold for the ellipsoidal sensor was 45.2 ± 2.2 l/s. Kinetic energy calculations were used to quantify the particle-bed energy exchange under fluvial (discharge at 30 l/s) and non-fluvial conditions. All the experiments suggest that the effect of the inertial characteristics of coarse sediments on their motion is comparable to the effect hydrodynamic forces. The coupling of IMU sensors with advanced telemetric systems can lead to the tracking of Lagrangian particle trajectories, at a frequency and accuracy that will permit the testing of diffusion/dispersion models across the range of particle diameters.

Gobernanza del espacio público: el comparendo ambiental en la UPZ 97 Chicó Lago 2014 - 2016.

La política del comparendo ambiental como herramienta pedagógica para el adecuado manejo de los residuos sólidos, pretende responsabilizar a la ciudadanía sobre el aseo del espacio público, en tanto la gestión por sí sola del Estado o las empresas privadas no ha logrado alcanzar este objetivo. El presente trabajo busca analizar, en el marco del servicio público domiciliario de aseo, la gestión del comparendo ambiental en el espacio público de la UPZ 97 Chicó Lago del 2014 al 2016, haciendo énfasis en las relaciones de los actores desde una perspectiva de gobernanza. De esa manera nos aproximamos a la noción de la ciudadanía frente al comparendo ambiental, para determinar cómo la política incluye su participación en la gestión del aseo en el espacio público.