First Record of the Pacific Fanfish Pteraclis aesticola (Jordan and Snyder, 1901) in the Tropical Eastern Pacific

José De La Cruz Agüero,Víctor Manuel Cota Gómez 한국해양과학기술원 2008 Ocean science journal Vol.43 No.3

One specimen of Pteraclis aesticola was collected off San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, México (22°54'N, 109°45'W), in March 2007. Present record is the first reported occurrence of the species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific biogeographic region (Gulf of California to southern Ecuadorian waters). Its large fan-like anal and dorsal fins and its counts of fin rays and vertebrae can distinguish the Pacific fanfish from the other species in the genus. This fish may have not yet been recorded in the region because its presence has been overlooked in the past because of rarity and lack of commercial value. One specimen of Pteraclis aesticola was collected off San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, México (22°54'N, 109°45'W), in March 2007. Present record is the first reported occurrence of the species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific biogeographic region (Gulf of California to southern Ecuadorian waters). Its large fan-like anal and dorsal fins and its counts of fin rays and vertebrae can distinguish the Pacific fanfish from the other species in the genus. This fish may have not yet been recorded in the region because its presence has been overlooked in the past because of rarity and lack of commercial value.

Therapeutic Effects of Resiniferatoxin Related with Immunological Responses for Intestinal Inflammation in Trichinellosis

José Luis Muñoz-Carrillo,José Luis Muñoz-López,José Jesús Muñoz-Escobedo,Claudia Maldonado-Tapia,Oscar Gutiérrez-Coronado,Juan Francisco Contreras-Cordero,María Alejandra Moreno-García 대한기생충학ㆍ열대의학회 2017 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.55 No.6

The immune response against Trichinella spiralis at the intestinal level depends on the CD4+ T cells, which can both suppress or promote the inflammatory response through the synthesis of diverse cytokines. During the intestinal phase, the immune response is mixed (Th1/Th2) with the initial predominance of the Th1 response and the subsequent domination of Th2 response, which favor the development of intestinal pathology. In this context, the glucocorticoids (GC) are the pharmacotherapy for the intestinal inflammatory response in trichinellosis. However, its therapeutic use is limited, since studies have shown that treatment with GC suppresses the host immune system, favoring T. spiralis infection. In the search for novel pharmacological strategies that inhibit the Th1 immune response (proinflammatory) and assist the host against T. spiralis infection, recent studies showed that resiniferatoxin (RTX) had anti-inflammatory activity, which decreased the serum levels of IL-12, INF-γ, IL-1β, TNF-α, NO, and PGE2, as well the number of eosinophils in the blood, associated with decreased intestinal pathology and muscle parasite burden. These researches demonstrate that RTX is capable to inhibit the production of Th1 cytokines, contributing to the defense against T. spiralis infection, which places it as a new potential drug modulator of the immune response.

Husserl, Peirce et la sémiotique actuelle: Les fondements phénoménologiques de la sémiotique créative

José María Paz Gago 고려대학교 응용문화연구소 2015 에피스테메 Vol.0 No.14

The deep roots of semiotics – Peirce, Husserl, Saussure, Greimas –founded by the Anglo-German and French traditions, have tried torecover its full phenomenological dimension in neo-semiotics. The beingand the world, the interpreter and the signs, the humanistic subject, thesubject of passions and emotions, meaning and object, these are allincluded in the process of signification. Staying close to things, of theworld of reality, as desired by the young Greimas, ensures its deepknowledge and knowledge of the sense of being and appearance. Les racines profondes de la pensée sémiotique -Peirce, Husserl, Saussure, Greimas - se retrouvent, les traditions anglo-germanique et française se recontrent dans une néosémiotique qui essaie de recuperer sa pleine dimension phénomélogique. L’être et le monde, l’interprète et les signes, le sujet humain, sujet de passions et d’émotions, et l’objet signifiant, tous impiqués dans le processus de la signification. Se maintenir le plus près possible des choses, du monde des réalités, comme le souhaitait le jeune Greimas, assure sa connaissance profonde, la connaissance du sens de l’être et du paraître.

Health Monitoring System (HMS) for structural assessment

José Campos e Matos,Oscar Garcia,António Abel Henriques,Josep Vehí,Joan Ramon Casas 국제구조공학회 2009 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.5 No.3

As in any engineering application, the problem of structural assessment should face the different uncertainties present in real world. The main source of uncertainty in Health Monitoring System (HMS) applications are those related to the sensor accuracy, the theoretical models and the variability in structural parameters and applied loads. In present work, two methodologies have been developed to deal with these uncertainties in order to adopt reliable decisions related to the presence of damage. A simple example, a steel beam analysis, is considered in order to establish a liable comparison between them. Also, such methodologies are used with a developed structural assessment algorithm that consists in a direct and consistent comparison between sensor data and numerical model results, both affected by uncertainty. Such algorithm is applied to a simple concrete laboratory beam, tested till rupture, to show it feasibility and operational process. From these applications several conclusions are derived with a high value, regarding the final objective of the work, which is the implementation of this algorithm within a HMS, developed and applied into a prototype structure.

The role of geosciences in the assessment of low-temperature geothermal resources (N-Portugal): a review

José M. Marques,P.M. Carreira,J.E. Marques,H.I. Chaminé,P.E. Fonseca,F.A. Monteiro Santos,H.G.M. Eggenkamp,J. Teixeira 한국지질과학협의회 2010 Geosciences Journal Vol.14 No.4

The aim of this paper is to review the results of the assessment of low-temperature geothermal resources (issue temperatures between 41 and 77℃) that occur in the Portuguese mainland. For this purpose, a multidisciplinary approach, including geologic, tectonic, geochemical, geophysical and isotopic (2H, 18O, 13C, 3H and 14C) techniques, was applied in order to update local and/or regional conceptual circulation models. Three case studies of N-Portugal are presented and discussed. This paper describes different low-temperature geothermal waters presenting similar hydrogeological conceptual models but rather different geochemical signatures (e.g., HCO3–Na with pH 8, HCO3/Na/CO2-rich with pH 7 and HCO3–Na with pH 9, type waters). In fact, in the studied low-temperature geothermal systems, local/regional high altitude sites associated with highly fractured rocks play an important role in conducting the infiltrated meteoric waters towards the discharge zones near the Spas. The discharge zones are mainly related to the intersection of major regional fault lineaments (and conjugate structures), responsible for creating the mineral waters ascent. In some cases, geochemical and isotopic data point out to the existence of anthropogenic contamination of some geothermal spring waters related to the intense use of fertilizers in areas of widespread agricultural practices

Use of Sliding Multirotational Devices of an Irregular Bridge in a Zone of High Seismicity

José M. Jara,Manuel Jara,Hugo Hernández,Bertha A. Olmos 대한토목학회 2013 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.17 No.1

The 525 meters long Infiernillo II bridge crosses the Infiernillo Dam and it is the first isolated bridge built in Mexico. It is located in the Morelia-Lazaro Cardenas highway that connects the central cities of the country to the Pacific Coast. Arch steel trusses compose the superstructure of the five simple supported spans. The substructure consists of reinforced concrete abutments and piers supported on cylinders and piles. The total cylinder-pier subsystem height is in the range of 46 m to 71 m, causing a strong irregularity in the transverse and longitudinal directions. The bridge was subjected to an assembly of real strong motion movements recorded close to the Pacific Coast in Mexico, site where the most severe earthquakes occur in the country. The study started by evaluating the analytical model with environmental vibration measurements previously taken. Based on the similarity of the results,none adjustment was required for the numerical model. The results show the importance of the isolator dynamic characteristics on the expected seismic behavior of the bridge. Special emphasis is dedicated to analyze the effectiveness of the isolation system for avoiding concentration of strength and displacement ductility demands on an irregular bridge substructure.

Chemical Profile and Antinociceptive Efficacy of Rheedia longifolia Leaf Extract

José A.A. Santos,Andrea Calheiros,Diogo D. Nascimento,Ana Luiza R. Bérenger,Fábio C. Amendoeira,Hugo C. Castro-Faria-Neto,Maria Raquel Figueiredo,Luiz A. Alves,Valber da Silva Frutuoso 한국식품영양과학회 2011 Journal of medicinal food Vol.14 No.9

Different species of the family Clusiaceae, including Rheedia longifolia, are used in folk medicine to treat inflammatory diseases. This family is largely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas of Brazil, but their chemical and pharmacological properties have been the subject of a few studies. In previous studies, we found that the aqueous extract from R. longifolia leaves presented important anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. We investigated the chemical profile of R. longifolia and characterized the pharmacological effect of different chemically identified fractions in pharmacological models of neurogenic and inflammatory nociception. The pharmacological tests showed that oral treatment with aqueous crude extract and fractions of methanol extract of R. longifolia leaf induced a significant antinociceptive effect using von Frey filaments. In addition, the most polar fractions presented antinociceptive activity in a neurogenic model of nociception (capsaicin model). The chromatographic analysis indicated the presence of bisflavonoids in the fractions obtained from the methanol extract. These results suggest that bisflavonoids found in methanol-extracted fractions are involved in the inhibition of inflammatory and neurogenic nociception. It is important that the R. longifolia aqueous extract treatment inhibited ulcer formation induced by indomethacin, suggesting an anti-ulcerogenic activity closely associated with its analgesic effect.

Prediction of the transfer length of prestressing strands with neural networks

José R. Martí-Vargas,Víctor Yepes,Francesc J. Ferri 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2013 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.12 No.2

This paper presents a study on the prediction of transfer length of 13 mm seven-wire prestressing steel strand in pretensioned prestressed concrete members with rectangular cross-section including several material properties and design and manufacture parameters. To this end, a carefully selected database consisting of 207 different cases coming from 18 different sources spanning a variety of practical transfer length prediction situations was compiled. 16 single input features and 5 combined input features are analyzed. A widely used feedforward neural regression model was considered as a representative of several machine learning methods that have already been used in the engineering field. Classical multiple linear regression was also considered in order to comparatively assess performance and robustness in this context. The results show that the implemented model has good prediction and generalization capacity when it is used on large input data sets of practical interest from the engineering point of view. In particular, a neural model is proposed -using only 4 hidden units and 10 input variables- which significantly reduces in 30% and 60% the errors in transfer length prediction when using standard linear regression or fixed formulas, respectively.

Vibration control of a time-varying modal-parameter footbridge:study of semi-active implementable strategies

José M. Soria,Ivan M. Díaz,Jaime H. García-Palacios 국제구조공학회 2017 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.20 No.5

This paper explores different vibration control strategies for the cancellation of human-induced vibration on a structure with time-varying modal parameters. The main motivation of this study is a lively urban stress-ribbon footbridge (Pedro Gómez Bosque, Valladolid, Spain) that, after a whole-year monitoring, several natural frequencies within the band of interest (normal paring frequency range) have been tracked. The most perceptible vibration mode of the structure at approximately 1.8 Hz changes up to 20%. In order to find a solution for this real case, this paper takes the annual modal parameter estimates (approx. 14000 estimations) of this mode and designs three control strategies: a) a tuned mass damper (TMD) tuned to the most-repeated modal properties of the aforementioned mode, b) two semi-active TMD strategies, one with an on-off control law for the TMD damping, and other with frequency and damping tuned by updating the damper force. All strategies have been carefully compared considering two structure models: a) only the aforementioned mode and b) all the other tracked modes. The results have been compared considering human-induced vibrations and have helped the authors on making a decision of the most advisable strategy to be practically implemented.

An innovative experimental on-road testing method and its demonstration on a prototype vehicle

José C. Páscoa,Francisco P. Brójo,Fernando C. Santos,Paulo O. Fael 대한기계학회 2012 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.26 No.6

Ground vehicle drag coefficient is herein obtained using an unconventional on-road test in real scale. At low-Re numbers, and as a function of velocity variations, transition introduces changes on the vehicle’s drag coefficient. Therefore, the drag coefficient must be obtained as a function of velocity. Traditionally, only an average drag coefficient value is usually obtained using the coast down method. To obtain the on-road, velocity dependent, drag coefficients we introduce a new approach. The aerodynamic resistance coefficient is obtained by towing the vehicle with and without an aerodynamic shield, in order to eliminate the rolling resistance component. A detailed description of the method, its associated techniques, and related errors is presented. We conclude that the present experimental procedure is needed when comparing the experimental drag coefficient against computational results, since numerical computations are usually performed in a velocity dependent framework. Further, the same on-road test procedure is herein used to obtain the rolling and aerodynamic drag coefficient for a prototype vehicle working in the transition regime.