2,342 research outputs found
Kressner, Ilka Mutis, Ana María and Elizabeth M. Pettinaroli (editors). Ecofictions, Ecorealities, and Slow Violence in Latin America and the Latinx World. Routledge, 2021.
Full text linkBook review Kressner, Ilka Mutis, Ana María and Elizabeth M. Pettinaroli (editors). Ecofictions, Ecorealities, and Slow Violence in Latin America and the Latinx World. Routledge, 2021
Thrombus formation induced by laser in a mouse model
No full textUniv Talca, Fac Hlth Sci, Dept Clin Biochem & Immunohematol, Interdisciplinary Excellence Res Program Hlth Agi, Talca 3460000, Maule, Chile; Perez, P (Perez, Pablo); Alarcon, M (Alarcon, Marcelo); Fuentes, E (Fuentes, Eduardo); Palomo, I (Palomo, Ivan)Animal models are used for the development of techniques and/or models that aid the study of thrombosis pathophysiology. The aim of the present study was to modify the technique of in vivo thrombosis induction to make it more accessible. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally anesthetized with 0.4 ml 2,2,2-tribromoethanol (266.6 mg/kg) and xylazine (13.3 mg/kg), whilst maintaining stable blood pressure and temperature. Through abdominal surgery, the mesentery was identified and isolated for the visualization of the arteries. A simple epifluorescence magnifier was used to detect the presence of thrombi. The results obtained indicate that using rose bengal at concentrations of 25 and 50 mg/kg and a laser power of 5 mW, thrombus formation occurred. In addition, formation of the thrombus occurred similar to 30 min following induction and the thrombus had a total area of 4,878.3 mu m(2), which caused total occlusion of the mesenteric artery. For visualization, platelets were labeled with calcein acetyloxymethyl ester for 1 h, which resulted in improved observation of thrombus formation in real time. Therefore, this technique may be used to perform in vivo studies simply and at low cost, and is suitable for use in a variety of studies of thrombosis
Crystallisation kinetics of a 2·3Li2O. 1·1ZrO2.6·6SiO2 glass
No full textThe nucleation and growth of zircon (ZrSiO4) crystals on the free surface of a 2·3Li2O.1·1ZrO2.6·6 SiO2 glass was investigated through differential thermal analysis (DTA), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallisation was completed at about 860°C with an activation energy value corresponding to 740 kJmol-1. Samples with polished free surfaces were nucleated at selected temperatures in the range 640-690°C and then heated at 750°C for 30 rain for crystal growth. A dominant effect of surface nucleation was observed and the number of ZrSiO4 crystals per unit area and the mechanism of crystallisation were determined. It was concluded that the nucleation starts from a fixed number of surface nuclei which reach a maximum at 670°C corresponding to a zircon crystal number density of 1·33×1011 m-2 and that at 880°C a uniform surface crystalline layer was formed with a rate of growth of 1·93 μm min-1
Frontiers of SLE: review of the 5th International Congress of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Cancun, Mexico, April 20-25, 1998.
No full textObjective: To review the recent advances in clinical and experimental research in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: Review of the 5th International Congress of SLE that took place in Cancun, Mexico, on April 20-25, 1998. Results: The main topics presented at the conference are summarized. These include new findings about the genetics of SLE due to fine mapping of the patients' genes and lupus mouse models, the nucleosome as a major autoantigen in SLE, serving as an immunogen for pathogenic T helper and B cells and contributing to the development of lupus nephritis, abnormalities of apoptosis as a cause of SLE, and apoptotic mechanisms as a cause of autoimmunization. Other topics included the pathophysiologic role of anti-endothelial cell antibodies in lupus with central nervous system involvement, vasculitis, the thrombotic diathesis associated with the antiphospholipid syndrome, induction of endothelial cell apoptosis and its regulation by the idiotypic network, the penetration of antinuclear antibodies to the cytoplasm and nucleus and the subsequent interaction with cellular organelles, and new aspects in the antiphospholipid syndrome, including animal models of the disease and the importance of antibodies to beta-2-glycoprotein-I and prothrombin. Advances in the clinical aspects of SLE included clinical manifestations, diagnosis, pregnancy and neonatal SLE, infections, hormones, and treatment. Additionally, four "Lectures of A Lifetime," entitled (1) What causes lupus? (2) From natural autoimmunity to autoimmune disease; (3) The idiotypic network and SLE; and (4) Late-stage morbidity and mortality in SLE-the role of accelerated atherosclerosis were presented. Conclusions: Recent advances provide new insights into the pathogenesis of SLE, as well as hope for novel therapeutic modalities and diagnostic measures. These offer the possibility of improving life quality and decreasing mortality from the disease and its complications. Semin Arthritis Rheum 29:112-130. Copyright (C) 1999 by W.B. Saunders Company
Desenvolvimento de revestimentos cerâmicos confortáveis termicamente
Full text linkTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência e Engenharia dos MateriaisSão diversos os elementos que contribuem para a sensação de conforto do indivíduo ao meio que o cerca. Em particular, no caso de pisos cerâmicos, tem-se observado que em locais onde normalmente as pessoas encontram-se descalças, a sensação térmica de frio ou quente depende das condições ambientais locais e das propriedades do material incluindo sua microestrutura e rugosidade superficial. O desconforto pode ser por calor em pisos de ambientes externos expostos à radiação solar (áreas de piscinas e terraços) ou desconforto por frio (quartos e banheiros). Neste contexto, o objetivo principal deste trabalho foi desenvolver placas cerâmicas que proporcionassem conforto térmico ao contato, mantendo as propriedades e características requeridas para os produtos de revestimentos cerâmicos. Para isto, duas propriedades térmicas precisaram ser avaliadas: a efusividade e a resistência de contato que é influenciada pela rugosidade dos pisos. A avaliação destas propriedades foi realizada por análise teórica, comparando a diferença de efusividade térmica e por ensaios experimentais, onde se mediu a temperatura da interface no contato de pisos com diferentes porosidades e o pé descalço. Desenvolveu-se também um modelo matemático para calcular a resistência de contato entre o pé (que apresenta uma certa rugosidade) e uma superfície rugosa. A efusividade térmica está diretamente correlacionada com a condutividade térmica e a densidade do material. Materiais com baixa condutividade e baixa densidade podem ser obtidos pela inclusão de poros na microestrutura decorrentes das matérias-primas e condições de processamento usualmente empregadas. Em relação ao comportamento mecânico, a presença de poros implica em diminuição da resistência. No entanto, a presença de uma porosidade controlada é essencial para materiais com funções térmicas, garantindo a transferência de calor adequada. Desta forma, a fim de otimizar essas propriedades, foram obtidas placas cerâmicas variando-se a porosidade das mesmas, atuando-se nos parâmetros de processamento: composição da massa cerâmica, variação da pressão de compactação e temperatura de queima. As placas cerâmicas obtidas com diferentes porosidades foram expostas ao ambiente ensolarado e medida a temperatura da sua superfície. Foram avaliadas também as propriedades mecânicas como: módulo de ruptura em flexão e resistência ao desgaste pelo método da abrasão profunda. Os resultados teóricos e experimentais mostram que por meio do aumento da porosidade das placas cerâmicas obtidas, a condutividade e a efusividade térmica diminuem promovendo o conforto no contato
Val/Leu(247) and Trp/Ser(316) polymorphisms in beta(2) glycoprotein I and their association with thrombosis in unselected Chilean patients
No full textPalomo, I.G.; Alarcon, M.L.; Vasquez, M.R.; Mendez, E.; Sandoval, J.; Vidal, R. Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunohematology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Talca, Casilla N° 747, Talca, Chile
The fantastic in Spain during the late- nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries
Full text linkThis thesis has as its primary objective the drawing together and subsequent theorisation of diverse texts which can be understood to be examples of Spanish fantastic literature. It demonstrates that from nineteenth-century Realism and Naturalism (exemplified in narratives by Pérez Galdós, Alarcón and Pardo Bazán), through turn-of-the-century modernismo (Valle-Inclán and Zamacois) to twentieth- century proto-existentialism (Unamuno), a significant number of texts were produced which, in spite of the obvious differences between them, refute the widely held idea that 'the fantastic' and Spanish literature share little common ground. The thesis is therefore one more step along the journey of establishing that Spanish fantastic literature is as important and integral to the whole swathe of Spanish cultural production as it is in many other European countries. The critical analyses of the narratives push at the boundaries of previous interpretative strategies both in terms of the fantastic and of the texts themselves. The exception to this interrogation and reinvigoration of earlier interpretations is to be found in the approach to the narratives by Zamacois, which have hitherto received very little critical attention. These detailed readings draw out the complexities and intriguing perspectives which the fantastic in Spain presents to the attentive reader. By means of these textual analyses, the thesis also explores some of the various possibilities presented by the fantastic itself, putting flesh on the theoretical bones of several different critical discourses. Ultimately, this thesis charts a dynamic and coherent corpus of material which represents the process of the psychologisation of the supernatural from Romanticism onwards. Each successive text more starkly expresses the unreal horrors of the fractured human mind, as well as the mutations of the body. As such, the evolutionary history of the fantastic in Spain is shown to be more gripping and relevant than has hitherto been understood to be the case
Production of microalgae using pilot-scale thin-layer cascade photobioreactors : effect of water type on biomass composition
No full textThe microalga Tetradesmus almeriensis was produced in a 63 m(2 )thin-layer cascade photobioreactor using either freshwater supplemented with fertilisers, primary urban wastewater, secondary urban wastewater, or diluted fresh pig slurry. The reactors were operated in semi-continuous mode at dilution rate of 0.3 day(-1) for over a month. Overall, the biomass productivity was highly influenced by the type of water used, the highest being that produced using freshwater (30.3 g m(-2).day(- 1)) given its greater nutrient content. The composition of the pro-duced biomass was also significantly influenced by the type of water used. The protein and lipid contents were higher when the biomass was produced using wastewater. These differences were not only attributed to the microalgal cells' response to the different nutrient availabilities but also to the microbial diversity of the bio-masses themselves. Indeed, Illumina sequencing revealed that the inoculated strain was only the most abundant in the culture produced using freshwater (44.6%) and diluted pig slurry (52.9%). When produced using primary or secondary wastewater the genus Tetradesmus represented only 1.6 and 4.9% of the total eukaryotic pop-ulations, respectively. Several algal predators were identified in the cultures including parasites of the genus Amoeboaphelidium and rotifers from the genus Adineta. The results highlighted the importance of characterising microalgal cultures to identify potential pathogens and predators, and to implement contingency actions
Implementing lean: UK culture and systems change
No full textFor the IGLC 12 Conference the authors reported the results of implementing Last PlannerTM methods with a large UK contracting company. The projects studied demonstrated some success but also some cultural, organizational and systemic barriers to its effective implementation. Alarcon and Conte’s White Paper for the IGLC11 conference discussed these issues and invited researchers to consider them. In response, the authors have reflected upon and critically re-analysed the research as a means to refocus their future work in implementing Lean Construction methods in UK construction. Based on a review of the literature on construction culture we have identified theoretical factors that, together with Alarcon and Conte's list of critical organizational elements, provide a framework against which the results of the research have been considered. We conclude that the implementation of Last Planner was hindered by not fully considering cultural, organizational and systemic problems and by failing to recognize how deepseated these problems could be. We intend, in future projects, to take a more considered, and wider approach to Lean Construction (possibly using the LCI’s Lean Project Delivery System) and to focus our attention upon construction ventures where efforts at culture change have already started - in particular, where strategic partnering arrangements are in place
- …
