The THESEUS space mission concept: science case, design and expected performances

Amati, L.,O’Brien, P.,Gö,tz, D.,Bozzo, E.,Tenzer, C.,Frontera, F.,Ghirlanda, G.,Labanti, C.,Osborne, J.P.,Stratta, G.,Tanvir, N.,Willingale, R.,Attina, P.,Campana, R.,Castro-Tirado, A.J.,Contini, Elsevier 2018 ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH Vol.62 No.1

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>THESEUS is a space mission concept aimed at exploiting Gamma-Ray Bursts for investigating the early Universe and at providing a substantial advancement of multi-messenger and time-domain astrophysics. These goals will be achieved through a unique combination of instruments allowing GRB and X-ray transient detection over a broad field of view (more than 1sr) with 0.5–1 arcmin localization, an energy band extending from several MeV down to 0.3 keV and high sensitivity to transient sources in the soft X-ray domain, as well as on-board prompt (few minutes) follow-up with a 0.7 m class IR telescope with both imaging and spectroscopic capabilities. THESEUS will be perfectly suited for addressing the main open issues in cosmology such as, e.g., star formation rate and metallicity evolution of the inter-stellar and intra-galactic medium up to redshift ∼ 10, signatures of Pop III stars, sources and physics of re-ionization, and the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function. In addition, it will provide unprecedented capability to monitor the X-ray variable sky, thus detecting, localizing, and identifying the electromagnetic counterparts to sources of gravitational radiation, which may be routinely detected in the late ’20s/early ’30s by next generation facilities like aLIGO/ aVirgo, eLISA, KAGRA, and Einstein Telescope. THESEUS will also provide powerful synergies with the next generation of multi-wavelength observatories (e.g., LSST, ELT, SKA, CTA, ATHENA).</P>

Production of Platinum Nanoparticles and Nanoaggregates Using Neurospora crassa

( E. Castro Longoria ),( S. D. Moreno Velasquez ),( A. R. Vilchis Nestor ),( E. Arenas Berumen ),( M. Avalos Borja ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2012 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.22 No.7

Fungal biomass and fungal extract of the nonpathogenic fungus Neurospora crassa were successfully used as reducing agents for the biosynthesis of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). The experiment was carried out by exposing the fungal biomass or the fungal extract to a 0.001 M precursor solution of hexachloroplatinic(IV) acid (H2PtCl6). A change of color of the biomass from pale yellow to dark brown was the first indication of possible formation of PtNPs by the fungus. Subsequent analyses confirmed the intracellular biosynthesis of single PtNPs (4-35 nm in diameter) and spherical nanoaggregates (20-110 nm in diameter). Using the fungal extract, similar results were obtained, producing rounded nanoaggregates of Pt single crystals in the range of 17-76 nm.

Biophysical characteristics of a noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus

권창희,Castro E Anthony,우희종,Kweon, Chang-hee,Anthony, Castro E,Woo, Hee-jong The Korean Society of Veterinary Science 1992 大韓獸醫學會誌 Vol.32 No.1

A noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus(NC BVDV) strain isolated and purified from persistently infected primary bovine fetal lung(BFL) cells was studied by biophysical methods. The buoyant density of particles of the NC BVDV strain was shown to be between 1,090 and $1,114g/cm^3$ and the maximum virus infectivity occured at $1,098g/cm^3$. Immunoelectron microscopic examination by using the partially purified virus revealed regular spherical particles 30~80nm in diameter. Differences in the genomic size of cytopathic and noncytopathic BVDV from infected cells were not found. A comparison of viral proteins of a noncytopathic and cytopathic strain(NADL) by immunoprecipitation using monoclonal antibody indicated that NC BVDV, compared to cytopathic NADL, was cell associated. 세포 비병원성 소 설사병 바이러스가 감염된 우태아 폐세포를 이용 바이러스를 순수분리하여 이화학적 성상을 검사하였던 바 다음의 결과를 얻었다. 바이러스의 비중은 $1.090{\sim}1,114gm/cm^3$로 검출되었으며 $1,098gm/cm^3$에서 최대 감염가를 나타내었다. 면역 전자현미경을 이용한 형태학적 분석결과 30~80nm의 바이러스성 입자를 관찰할 수 있었으며 유전인자의 추출 분석결과 병원성 바이러스와의 전기영동상 유전자 규모에 있어서 차이는 인정되지 않았다. 그러나 비세포 병원성 소 설사병 바이러스는 병원성 바이러스에 비하여 세포외 배출이 적었으며 세포내에서 보다 많이 존재하는 것으로 관찰되었다.

Design and experimental evaluation of a mixed-mode continuous solar dryer for plaster molds

K. M. Aguilar-Castro,J. J. Flores-Prieto,M. E. Baltazar-Lopez,E. V. Macias-Melo 대한기계학회 2012 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.26 No.9

This work aimed to develop and evaluate a mixed-mode continuous solar dryer for plaster molds for the local craft ceramics industry to reduce the drying time during the pottery manufacturing process. This novel design reduces time and movements in the manufacturing line. Indirect solar energy is used to complement direct solar energy; such a combination allows the continuous drying process to meet the energy requirements and optimize solar energy expenses. The experimental results show that the average evaporation rate is 0.7 kg/hr,the average energy consumption is 2.57 MJ/kg-H2O-evaporated, and the drying time is 4 days. The actual drying time represents 20% to 29% of the total foregoing time employed by Morelos-México craft potters. This finding indicates that the dryer continuously works using 66.4% indirect and 33.6% direct solar energy, thereby entailing lower expenses than traditional continuous drying processes.

Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the Health Sector: A Qualitative Study

João António Gomes de Melo e Castro e Melo,Nuno Miguel Faria Araújo 대한의료정보학회 2020 Healthcare Informatics Research Vol.26 No.4

Objectives: The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing the way health is understood, transforming the methods of treatmentand diagnosis as well as the relationship between health professionals and patients and altering the management andorganization of health systems. The main objective of this study was to explore the impact that the Fourth Industrial Revolutionis having on the health sector. Methods: Conducting interviews consisting of four questions with 10 professionals whohad experience working in the health sector to gain their insights and to obtain information to meet the general objective ofthe study as well as its specific objectives. Results: From the analysis of the respondents’ responses, it was possible to createfive dimensions developed by the topics most addressed by respondents, namely, impact on healthcare efficiency and effectiveness,impact on government action, impact on human resources, impact on health system organization, and financialimpact on the health sector. Conclusions: Although the Fourth Industrial Revolution is still at an early stage, it has been concludedthat it is having a major positive impact on the health sector. For the effective and efficient implementation of thesedisruptive technologies, a global interaction between governments, health professionals, stakeholders, and society is essentialto make this change possible.

Age-related cognitive decline and associations with sex, education and apolipoprotein E genotype across ethnocultural groups and geographic regions: a collaborative cohort study

Lipnicki, Darren M.,Crawford, John D.,Dutta, Rajib,Thalamuthu, Anbupalam,Kochan, Nicole A.,Andrews, Gavin,Lima-Costa, M. Fernanda,Castro-Costa, Erico,Brayne, Carol,Matthews, Fiona E.,Stephan, Blossom Public Library of Science 2017 PLoS medicine Vol.14 No.3

<▼1><P><B>Background</B></P><P>The prevalence of dementia varies around the world, potentially contributed to by international differences in rates of age-related cognitive decline. Our primary goal was to investigate how rates of age-related decline in cognitive test performance varied among international cohort studies of cognitive aging. We also determined the extent to which sex, educational attainment, and apolipoprotein E ε4 allele (<I>APOE*4</I>) carrier status were associated with decline.</P><P><B>Methods and findings</B></P><P>We harmonized longitudinal data for 14 cohorts from 12 countries (Australia, Brazil, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States), for a total of 42,170 individuals aged 54–105 y (42% male), including 3.3% with dementia at baseline. The studies began between 1989 and 2011, with all but three ongoing, and each had 2–16 assessment waves (median = 3) and a follow-up duration of 2–15 y. We analyzed standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and memory, processing speed, language, and executive functioning test scores using linear mixed models, adjusted for sex and education, and meta-analytic techniques. Performance on all cognitive measures declined with age, with the most rapid rate of change pooled across cohorts a moderate -0.26 standard deviations per decade (SD/decade) (95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.35, -0.16], <I>p</I> < 0.001) for processing speed. Rates of decline accelerated slightly with age, with executive functioning showing the largest additional rate of decline with every further decade of age (-0.07 SD/decade, 95% CI [-0.10, -0.03], <I>p</I> = 0.002). There was a considerable degree of heterogeneity in the associations across cohorts, including a slightly faster decline (<I>p</I> = 0.021) on the MMSE for Asians (-0.20 SD/decade, 95% CI [-0.28, -0.12], <I>p</I> < 0.001) than for whites (-0.09 SD/decade, 95% CI [-0.16, -0.02], <I>p</I> = 0.009). Males declined on the MMSE at a slightly slower rate than females (difference = 0.023 SD/decade, 95% CI [0.011, 0.035], <I>p</I> < 0.001), and every additional year of education was associated with a rate of decline slightly slower for the MMSE (0.004 SD/decade less, 95% CI [0.002, 0.006], <I>p</I> = 0.001), but slightly faster for language (-0.007 SD/decade more, 95% CI [-0.011, -0.003], <I>p</I> = 0.001). <I>APOE*4</I> carriers declined slightly more rapidly than non-carriers on most cognitive measures, with processing speed showing the greatest difference (-0.08 SD/decade, 95% CI [-0.15, -0.01], <I>p</I> = 0.019). The same overall pattern of results was found when analyses were repeated with baseline dementia cases excluded. We used only one test to represent cognitive domains, and though a prototypical one, we nevertheless urge caution in generalizing the results to domains rather than viewing them as test-specific associations. This study lacked cohorts from Africa, India, and mainland China.</P><P><B>Conclusions</B></P><P>Cognitive performance declined with age, and more rapidly with increasing age, across samples from diverse ethnocultural groups and geographical regions. Associations varied across cohorts, suggesting that different rates of cognitive decline might contribute to the global variation in dementia prevalence. However, the many similarities and consistent associations with education and <I>APOE</I> genotype indicate a need to explore how international differences in associations with other risk factors such as genetics, cardiovascular health, and lifestyle are involved. Future studies should attempt to use multiple tests for each cognitive domain and feature populations from ethnocultural groups and geographical regions for which we lacked data.</P></▼1><▼2><P>In a collaborative cohort study, Darren Lipnicki and colleagues investigate associations between age-related cognitive decline and sex, education, and apoli

Unraveling Direct Formation of Hierarchical Zeolite Beta by Dynamic Light Scattering, Small Angle X-ray Scattering, and Liquid and Solid-State NMR: Insights at the Supramolecular Level

Castro, Maria,Losch, Pit,Park, Woojin,Haouas, Mohamed,Taulelle, Francis,Loerbroks, Claudia,Brabants, Gert,Breynaert, Eric,Kirschhock, Christine E. A.,Ryoo, Ryong,Schmidt, Wolfgang American Chemical Society 2018 Chemistry of materials Vol.30 No.8

<P>A case study on the understanding of the formation of hierarchical Beta zeolites using gemini-type piperidine based multiammonium surfactant (N<SUB>6</SUB>-diphe) is reported. Complementary techniques were used to investigate N<SUB>6</SUB>-diphe’s structure-directing effect at the molecular level. Combining characterization of the resulting zeolite materials with the toolboxes herein developed for studying clear solutions and dense gels discloses self-assembly processes that govern the growth (and growth inhibition) of nano-Beta zeolite crystals. In clear solution, small-angle X-ray scattering and liquid-state NMR provide insights about the formation of nanoparticles and their degree of order. <SUP>14</SUP>N and <SUP>1</SUP>H-DOSY NMR probe the dynamics and mobility of soluble species. In a dense gel, on the other side, <SUP>27</SUP>Al- and <SUP>29</SUP>Si-(MAS) NMR elucidate the varying local connectivity between initial nano-objects and the final solid products. It has been found that cylindrical micelles control the transformation of solubilized silica and alumina during the formation of zeolite nuclei and guide their crystal growth to nano-Beta rods with bimodal mesoporosity. The predominant smaller mesopores (6 to 8 nm) originate from the template’s hydrophobic alkyl chains, while larger mesopores (10 to 30 nm) are supposed to result from a spinodal decomposition-type segregation of phases consisting of as-formed hydrophobic zeolite rods and an aqueous solution.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>

The Inhibitory Mechanism of Compound K on A549 Lung Cancer Cells through EGF Pathway:An <i>in Silico</i> and <i>in Vitro</i> Approach

Veronica, Castro-Aceituno,Siddiqi, Muhammad Hanif,Ahn, Sungeun,Sathishkumar, Natarajan,Noh, Hae Yong,Simu, Shakina Yesmin,Jimenez Perez, Zuly E.,Yang, Deok Chun Current Science Association 2016 Current science Vol.111 No.6

<P>In previous studies compound K (CK), an active metabolite ginsenoside from Panax ginseng, was shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity. However, the mechanism of CK through the EGFR/H-Ras pathway in cancer cells has not been reported so far. Therefore, we focused on the effect of CK as an EGFR and H-Ras inhibitor by in silico and in vitro studies using A549 cells. The biological activity prediction shows that CK exhibits chemopreventive, anticarcinogenic and anti-metastatic activity. Also, using molecular docking studies it has been shown that CK exhibits a strong binding energy with EGFR and H-Ras than Erlotinib. CK inhibits cell viability, decreases cell migration, induces apoptosis and strongly decreases gene expression of EGFR and H-Ras genes in vitro. This finding suggests that the EGFR pathway is involved in the anti-cancer activity of CK of EGF-enhanced A549 lung cancer cell line.</P>

Influence of feedstock source on the biocatalyst stability and reactor performance in continuous biodiesel production

William Costa e Silva,Heizir F. de Castro,Larissa F. Teixeira,Ana K.F. Carvalho,Adriano A. Mendes 한국공업화학회 2014 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.20 No.3

A biodiesel process in a packed bed reactor was used as a model system to show the strong dependenceof the reactor behavior on the developing of chemical environment within the reactor. Ethanolysis runsof babassu and macaw palm oils were carried out in a solvent-free system using Burkholderia cepacialipase immobilized on silica–PVA matrix. The best performance was found for the reactor running onmacaw palm oil, which resulted in a stable operating system and an average yield of 87.6 ± 2.5%. Thisstrategy also gave high biocatalyst operational stability, revealing a half-life of 478 h.

PROPAGATION OF NUCLEAR DATA UNCERTAINTIES FOR PWR CORE ANALYSIS

Cabellos, O.,Castro, E.,Ahnert, C.,Holgado, C. Korean Nuclear Society 2014 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.46 No.3

An uncertainty propagation methodology based on the Monte Carlo method is applied to PWR nuclear design analysis to assess the impact of nuclear data uncertainties. The importance of the nuclear data uncertainties for $^{235,238}U$, $^{239}Pu$, and the thermal scattering library for hydrogen in water is analyzed. This uncertainty analysis is compared with the design and acceptance criteria to assure the adequacy of bounding estimates in safety margins.