Efecto de la composición del gas de refinería sobre las características del proceso de combustión

En este artículo de investigación científica se analiza el efecto del cambio de la composición del gas combustible (Gas de Refinería (GR) por Gas Natural (GN)) sobre las características del proceso combustión en hornos de la industria de refinación del petróleo; se evaluó el poder calorífico, el índice de Wobbe (IW) y exceso de oxígeno, para mezclas combustibles de composición variable. Mediante simulación computacional del proceso de combustión se calculó la temperatura adiabática de lama, eficiencia y la composición de los productos de combustión. Se evaluaron mezclas de gases combustibles con poderes caloríficos entre 800-2500 Btu/pie3 y se compararon con la combustión de gas natural. Se registró variabilidad en la temperatura adiabática y la eficiencia en función de la composición del gas y el exceso de oxígeno, lo que genera inestabilidad en el horno y mayor impacto ambiental

Links between the ornamental sector and alien plants in Southern Africa

Humans and ornamental plants have a long relationship that could explain why ornamental gardening has been one of the main reasons for intentionally introducing and spreading plants worldwide. In Southern Africa, a significant part of the alien flora was introduced for ornamental purposes. Some species have become invasive, with ecological and socio-economic impacts that can create conflicts between stakeholders, depending on their relationships with the species. This paper unpacks how the ornamental industry in Southern Africa operates as well as people's preferences for ornamental plants and practices to highlight links between the industry and plant invasions and to help address potential conflicts. Drawing on empirical data primarily collected in 2022/23 in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe (and other Southern African countries), our results show that Southern Africa's ornamental industry is highly influenced by the global industry, especially South Africa. The sector provides ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ jobs to people in urban areas, especially middle-aged women from ethnic majorities. The sector's operation and gardening practices show expressions of the typical cultural hybridity of postcolonial states where hegemonic and subaltern practices coexist and mix. Alien plants and foreign styles often symbolise higher social status, but controversially, socially privileged groups are publicly leading shifts towards more geographically contextualised practices and native plants. We conclude by arguing that recognising the influences that historical processes have on the sector's operation and its links with alien plants is essential for a more ethically sound and fair stakeholder engagement in preventing and managing plant invasions from the ornamental industry in Southern Africa.</p

Ornamental horticulture in Southern Africa:strategic actions to address biological invasions

Southern Africa has a well-documented history of intentional plant introductions for ornamental purposes, but some of these plants have become widespread damaging invaders. Conflicts can arise when stakeholders’ attitudes differ towards ornamental invasive plants and their management. We examined the views of stakeholders involved in the ornamental sector and environmental management across Southern Africa in light of the strategic actions proposed by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services' thematic assessment on ‘Invasive Alien Species and their Control.’ Our analysis is based on semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, and observations with 78 environmental specialists, 30 ornamental-related industry staff, and 24 plant enthusiasts from Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Eswatini. Our analysis shows that significant efforts are ongoing in Southern Africa to address biological invasions from the ornamental sector. However, they need more integration and consideration of the broader geopolitical and socio-historical context. We reflected on these needs and recommend: 1) improving cohesion and collaboration amongst stakeholders, 2) ensuring pluralism by recognising and valuing marginalised groups, 3) addressing power differences and superiority-inferiority complexes, and 4) seeking alliances with existing sub-regional groups working in the realm of nature-society interplay. We believe that our recommendations contribute toward the necessary transformative change for tackling the underlying political and economic causes of plant invasions derived from the ornamental sector in the sub-region.</p

PIK-III Exerts Anti-Fibrotic Effects in Activated Fibroblasts by Regulating p38 Activation

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is an autoimmune-driven connective tissue disorder that results in fibrosis of the skin and internal organs such as the lung. Fibroblasts are known as the main effector cells involved in the progression of SSc through the induction of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and myofibroblast differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that 4\u27-(cyclopropylmethyl)-N2-4-pyridinyl-[4,5\u27-bipyrimidine]-2,2\u27-diamine (PIK-III), known as class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PIK3C3/VPS34) inhibitor, exerts potent antifibrotic effects in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) by attenuating transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1)-induced ECM expression, cell contraction and myofibroblast differentiation. Unexpectedly, neither genetic silencing of PIK3C3 nor other PIK3C3 inhibitors (e.g., SAR405 and Autophinib) were able to mimic PIK-III-mediated antifibrotic effect in dermal fibroblasts, suggesting that PIK-III inhibits fibroblast activation through another signaling pathway. We identified that PIK-III effectively inhibits p38 activation in TGF-β1-stimulated dermal fibroblasts. Finally, PIK-III administration significantly attenuated dermal and lung fibrosis in bleomycin-injured mice

El ciclo celular

ResumenEl proceso conocido como ciclo celular es de gran importacia para la c&eacute;lula ya que tiene como funci&oacute;n la formaci&oacute;n completa de una nueva c&eacute;lula, evitando en lo posible la creaci&oacute;n de c&eacute;lulas con m&uacute;ltiples errorres, lo cual le permite al organismo permanecer en un constante&nbsp;equilibrio, previeniendo as&iacute;&nbsp;aquellos des&oacute;rdenes&nbsp;que pueden perjudicar su salud; de esta manera, todas las c&eacute;lular est&aacute;n controladas por prote&iacute;nas que no permiten que se presenten situaciones desastrosas para un ser vivo.[Lomanto LD, Ortiz OL, Bret&oacute;n CO, G&oacute;mez AL, Mesa VM. El ciclo celular. MedUNAB 2003; 6(16):21-29].Palabras clave: Ciclo celular, factor promotor de mitosis, prote&iacute;na RB o 104, clinicas, cinasas

Relationship between the Sensory-Determined Astringency and the Flavanolic Composition of Red Wines

[EN] The relationship between the proanthocyanidin profile and the perceived astringency was assessed in 13 commercial Tempranillo red wines. The concentration and compositional information were obtained by liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry after acid-catalyzed depolymerization of wine proanthocyanidins in the presence of excess phloroglucinol. Statistical analysis of the results showed significant correlations between sensory and chemical determinations. Astringency was more affected by the subunit composition than by the total concentration or the average degree of polymerization of wine proanthocyanidins. Higher proportions of epicatechin (EC) subunits in extension positions and gallocatechin (GC) subunits in terminal positions were shown to increase astringency. On the contrary, the amount of epigallocatechin (EGC) in both extension and terminal positions was negatively correlated with the perceived astringency

Evaluation of Trends in Influenza A and B Viruses in Wastewater and Human Surveillance Data: Insights from the 2022–2023 Season in Italy

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a recognized, dynamic approach to monitoring the transmission of pathogens in communities through urban wastewater. This study aimed to detect and quantify influenza A and B viruses in Italian wastewater during the 2022-2023 season (October 2022 to April 2023). A total of 298 wastewater samples were collected from 67 wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) across the country. These samples were analyzed for influenza A and B viruses (IAV, IBV) using primers originally developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for real-time PCR and adapted for digital PCR. The overall detection rates of IAV and IBV across the entire study period were 19.1% and 16.8%, respectively. The prevalence of IAV in wastewater showed a gradual increase from October to December 2022, peaking at 61% in December. In contrast, IBV peaked at 36% in February 2023. This temporal discrepancy in peak concentrations suggests different seasonal patterns for the two influenza types. These trends mirrored human surveillance data, which showed influenza A cases peaking at 46% in late December and declining to around 2% by April 2023, and influenza B cases starting to increase significantly in January 2023 and peaking at about 14% in March. IAV concentrations ranged from 9.80 x 102 to 1.94 x 105 g.c./L, while IBV concentrations ranged from 1.07 x 103 to 1.43 x 104 g.c./L. Overall, the environmental data were consistent with the human surveillance trends observed during the study period in the country. These results demonstrate the value of WBE in tracking epidemiological patterns and highlight its potential as a complementary tool to infectious diseases surveillance systems

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5–11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12–18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19–25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool