Preparation of Hybrid Devices Containing Nylon/M(II)Pc-TTF (M=Cu, Zn) Films with Potential Optical and Electrical Applications

María Elena Sánchez-Vergara,Diana Monserrat López-Romero,Pablo Vidal-García,Christian Jiménez-Jarquín,Aline Hernandez-García,Omar Jiménez-Sandoval 대한금속·재료학회 2017 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.13 No.3

Hybrid devices consisting of metallophthalocyanines, MPcs(M=Zn, Cu), doped with a Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivativeand dispersed in nylon 11 have been prepared by using a thermalevaporation technique. The effects of thermal relaxation on thestructure and morphology of the samples were studied by FT-IRspectroscopy, SEM and X-ray diffraction. The thermalrelaxation in nylon 11 produced a crystalline arrangement in theα- and β-form MPc molecules. Changes in conductivity of thedevices suggest the formation of alternative paths for carrierconduction. It was found that the temperature-dependent electriccurrent in Zn devices showed a semiconductor behavior. Finally,the optical direct and indirect band gap of these hybrid deviceswas evaluated from optical absorption measurements. The bandgap values were found to decrease from 3.7 to 1.38 eV (for theZnPc device), and from 1.9 to 1.1 eV (for the CuPc device), withthe addition of TTF in the polymeric matrix.

Biodiversity analysis of natural arthropods enemies in vineyard agroecosystems in La Rioja, Spain

L. Jiménez-García,Y.G. García-Martínez,V. Marco-Mancebón,I. Pérez-Moreno,D. Jiménez-García 한국응용곤충학회 2019 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.22 No.1

Major knowledge gaps exist regarding effects of landscape-level agroecosystem composition on the presence of natural enemies of agricultural pests. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of landscape mosaic characteristics on the diversity of predators and parasitoids of a viticultural landscape in La Rioja, Spain. Five habitats were evaluated: Mediterranean forest, Mediterranean scrub, olive groves, natural grassland, and vineyards. In all, we collected 28,640 arthropods, representing 10 orders: Araneae, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Mantodea, Neuroptera, Solifugae, and Thysanoptera. The grassland habitat presented the highest arthropod abundances. Carabid beetles showed preferences for Mediterranean forest and scrub, whereas reduviid bugs showed preferences for natural grassland. Landscape heterogeneity and connectivity with natural elements in the study area turn out to be effective in conservation of diversity of natural enemies of viticulture.

Synthesis of lithium aluminate by thermal decomposition of a lithium dawsonite-type precursor

J. Jiménez-Becerril,I. García-Sosa 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2011 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.12 No.1

Of all ceramic materials, lithium aluminate has been widely studied and has become a good candidate to be used as both a fusion blanket and as a matrix in molten carbonate fuel cells. On behalf of these lithium aluminate applications, a variety of procedures has been proven to prepare adequate crystalline and pure material. In this study, lithium aluminate was synthesized by thermally decomposing a lithium dawsonite-type precursor using aluminum nitrate and chloride as a starting material. The lithium aluminate was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction. According to the results the crystalline form, in mixtures of several phases, of the lithium aluminate obtained depends strongly on the thermal treatment.

Work Ability Index: Psychometric Testing in Aeronautical Industry Workers

González-Domínguez María Eugenia,Fernández-García Elena,Paloma-Castro Olga,González-López Regina María,Rivas Pérez María Paz,López-Molina Luis,García-Jiménez Jesús,Romero-Sánchez José Manuel 한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원 2024 Safety and health at work Vol.15 No.1

Background The Work Ability Index (WAI) is an instrument that measures work ability. The wide dispersion of the WAI internationally has led to its adaptation for use in different countries. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the WAI. Methods A methodological design was used over an opportunistic sample of 233 workers in the aeronautical industry in Spain. Reliability was evaluated through internal consistency. Factorial validity, known groups, and convergent validity were tested. Results The Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation indicated an adequate internal consistency. The confirmatory factor analysis, performed to evaluate the factorial validity, found adequate fit indices for a two-factor solution with a high correlation between the factors. Factor 1, “Subjectively estimated work ability and resources”, was composed of 3 subscales and factor 2, “Ill-health-related”, of 2 subscales. Subscales 4 and 6 had loading in both factors. Workers under 45 years of age obtained higher significant scores than older ones. Convergent validity was also evidenced since WAI was highly correlated with self-assessment of health status. Conclusions The Spanish version of the WAI has shown evidence of reliability and validity in this study, supporting its use in individual and collective health surveillance by occupational health professionals. The factorial solution that was found has previously been reported in another international context. However, further research is needed to resolve the discrepancies detected in the role of some subscales between other national and international studies. Background The Work Ability Index (WAI) is an instrument that measures work ability. The wide dispersion of the WAI internationally has led to its adaptation for use in different countries. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the WAI. Methods A methodological design was used over an opportunistic sample of 233 workers in the aeronautical industry in Spain. Reliability was evaluated through internal consistency. Factorial validity, known groups, and convergent validity were tested. Results The Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation indicated an adequate internal consistency. The confirmatory factor analysis, performed to evaluate the factorial validity, found adequate fit indices for a two-factor solution with a high correlation between the factors. Factor 1, “Subjectively estimated work ability and resources”, was composed of 3 subscales and factor 2, “Ill-health-related”, of 2 subscales. Subscales 4 and 6 had loading in both factors. Workers under 45 years of age obtained higher significant scores than older ones. Convergent validity was also evidenced since WAI was highly correlated with self-assessment of health status. Conclusions The Spanish version of the WAI has shown evidence of reliability and validity in this study, supporting its use in individual and collective health surveillance by occupational health professionals. The factorial solution that was found has previously been reported in another international context. However, further research is needed to resolve the discrepancies detected in the role of some subscales between other national and international studies.

Dietary encapsulated Bifidobacterium animalis and Agave fructans improve growth performance, health parameters, and immune response in broiler chickens

Hernández-Granados María José,Ortiz-Basurto Rosa Isela,Jiménez-Fernández Maribel,García-Munguía Carlos Alberto,Franco-Robles Elena 아세아·태평양축산학회 2022 Animal Bioscience Vol.35 No.4

Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis, Agave fructans, and symbiotic of both encapsulated on growth performance, feed efficiency, blood parameters, and immune status in broiler chickens, and to compare these with diets including antibiotic growth promoters and without additives.Methods: A comparative experimental study was carried out with 135 male Ross 308 broiler chickens. Each trial was divided into 5 equal groups. Control group (CON) received a standard diet without growth promoter; GPA, a standard diet with colistin sulfate and zinc bacitracin (0.25 g/kg of feed); PRE, a standard diet with 1% Agave fructans; PRO, a standard diet with Bifidobacterium animalis (11.14±0.70 log CFU/g); SYM, a standard diet with B. animalis and Agave fructans.Results: A significant decrease in food consumption was found for the GPA, PRE, and SYM, compared to the CON group. The results show a better feed conversion index in PRE and GPA with respect to the CON group with the highest conversion index. Interestingly, the weight of the gastrointestinal tract shows a statistically significant difference between GPA and PRE groups. Moreover, the length of the gastrointestinal tract of the GPA group was less than the PRE group. In the total leukocyte count, there was a statistically significant increase in the GPA group compared to the CON, PRE, and PRO groups, and the heterophiles-lymphocytes index was lower in PRO. Regarding the cytokines, interleukin 10 (IL-10) decreased in PRO compared to CON and PRE, while IL-1β increased in the SYM group.Conclusion: Alternative treatments were shown to achieve similar productive results as growth-promoting antibiotics and showed improvement over diet without additives; however, they have immunomodulatory properties and improved the development of the gastrointestinal tract compared to the treatment of growth-promoting antibiotics. Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis, Agave fructans, and symbiotic of both encapsulated on growth performance, feed efficiency, blood parameters, and immune status in broiler chickens, and to compare these with diets including antibiotic growth promoters and without additives. Methods: A comparative experimental study was carried out with 135 male Ross 308 broiler chickens. Each trial was divided into 5 equal groups. Control group (CON) received a standard diet without growth promoter; GPA, a standard diet with colistin sulfate and zinc bacitracin (0.25 g/kg of feed); PRE, a standard diet with 1% Agave fructans; PRO, a standard diet with Bifidobacterium animalis (11.14±0.70 log CFU/g); SYM, a standard diet with B. animalis and Agave fructans. Results: A significant decrease in food consumption was found for the GPA, PRE, and SYM, compared to the CON group. The results show a better feed conversion index in PRE and GPA with respect to the CON group with the highest conversion index. Interestingly, the weight of the gastrointestinal tract shows a statistically significant difference between GPA and PRE groups. Moreover, the length of the gastrointestinal tract of the GPA group was less than the PRE group. In the total leukocyte count, there was a statistically significant increase in the GPA group compared to the CON, PRE, and PRO groups, and the heterophiles-lymphocytes index was lower in PRO. Regarding the cytokines, interleukin 10 (IL-10) decreased in PRO compared to CON and PRE, while IL-1β increased in the SYM group. Conclusion: Alternative treatments were shown to achieve similar productive results as growth-promoting antibiotics and showed improvement over diet without additives; however, they have immunomodulatory properties and improved the development of the gastrointestinal tract compared to the treatment of growth-promoting antibiotics.

Protective effects of D-005, a lipid extract from Acrocomia crispa fruits, against ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury in rats

Ambar Oyarzábal-Yera,Sandra Rodríguez-Salgueiro,Nelson Merino-García,Leyanis Ocaña-Nápoles,Lucía González-Núñez,Licet Mena-Valdés,Zullyt Zamora-Rodríguez,José A. Medina-Pírez,Sonia Jiménez-Despaigne,V 대한신장학회 2019 Kidney Research and Clinical Practice Vol.38 No.4

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) is associated with enhanced production of reactive oxygen species in renal tissues. D-005, a lipid extract obtained from Acrocomia crispa fruit, has previously shown antioxidant effects. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of D-005 on renal IR-induced AKI in rats. Methods: Rats were randomized into seven groups including a negative control group (vehicle) without AKI and six groups with renal IR-induced AKI as follows: a positive control (vehicle); D-005 treatment at 25, 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg; and dexamethasone at 3 mg/kg. All treatments were orally administered as single doses 1 hour before AKI induction. Biomarkers (serum creatinine, urea, and uric acid concentrations), oxidative variables, and histopathological AKI changes were evaluated in blood and kidney tissues. Results: All D-005 doses protected against IR-induced AKI in rats by significantly decreasing biomarkers and histopathological AKI changes as assessed by reduced serum concentrations of creatinine, urea, and uric acid. In addition, all D-005 doses decreased tubular damage, as shown by fewer detached cells and casts in the tubular lumen. D-005 reversed oxidation disturbance markers by decreasing malondialdehyde and sulfhydryl group concentrations in plasma and in kidney homogenates and by increasing kidney catalase activity. Dexamethasone, the reference substance, protected against IR-induced AKI in rats by reducing biochemical and histological variables of renal damage in a similar manner. Conclusion: Administration of single oral doses of D-005 markedly and significantly protected against renal IR-induced AKI, possibly due to its known antioxidant effects.

Red alga <i>Grateloupia imbricata</i> (Halymeniaceae), a species introduced into the Canary Islands

Garcí,a-Jimé,nez, Pilar,Geraldino, Paul John L.,Boo, Sung Ming,Robaina, Rafael R. Blackwell Publishing Asia 2008 Phycological research Vol.56 No.3

<P>SUMMARY</P><P>Specimens of <I>Grateloupia</I> from Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands were used to molecularly ascertain which of the species has been used in physiological and bio-technological experiments. The <I>rbc</I>L sequence analysis revealed that four out of five analyzed specimens (i.e. those commonly collected for physiological research) formed a monophyletic clade with <I>G. imbricata</I> from Korea, Japan, and China, and were quite different from any other species of the genus. Another sample, which was associated with cage nets used for fish aquaculture, was grouped with <I>G. lanceolata</I> from Japan, though it appears too early as yet to identify it as such. This is, thus, proof of a new introduction of a marine macroalga, since <I>G. imbricata</I> is an Asian species, native to Japan and Korea, in the Canary Islands. The role of international shipping in the introduction of the species is discussed.</P>

Modelling of wine vinegar acetification bioreactor: Global sensitivity analysis and simplification of the model

Jorge E. Jiménez-Hornero,Inés Mª Santos Dueñas,Isidoro García-García 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.111 No.-

First-principles models of any process usually describe its complex underlying mechanisms using differentialand algebraic equations including several unknown parameters, whose values must be normallyestimated from experimental data. In this context, assessment of the influence of each parameter onmodel outputs, also known as sensitivity analysis, is an invaluable tool to, for example, simplify the structureof such model. In this work, variance-based Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) using Sobol’ main andtotal effects was carried out on a previously proposed acetification process first-principles model. Threeparameters (KSE, KIA and KSO) showed less influence than the remaining nine considering their statedvalue ranges; KSE presented no influence in all the analysed experimental conditions, value variation ofKIA exhibited a slightly greater effect on experiments with higher mean acetic acid concentrations andKSO showed the strongest impact by varying its value in all the experiments. According to these results,the model was simplified and its simulation compared with the initially proposed model and the experimentaldata. The analysis performed, by way of example, can be of crucial importance for any otherprocess.

Heart Rate Variability and Psychometric Analysis in Patients with Hyperactive Heart Fire Syndrome

Oliverio Medina Martínez,Ruben Fossion,Yolanda García Piceno,Rosa E. Lopez-Gomez,Emma López-Espinosa,Ismael Jiménez-Estrada,Salvador Quiroz-González 사단법인약침학회 2021 Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies Vol.14 No.4

Background: Hyperactive heart fire syndrome is characterized by anxiety, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, tongue ulcers, heat in the hands, and palpitations. However, syndrome differentiation is often subjective due to a lack of objective, quantifiable variables. Objectives: To identify changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and psychometric analysis in patients with hyperactive heart fire syndrome. Methods: Healthy controls (n = 33) were compared to patients with hyperactive heart fire syndrome (n = 48) from the Integrative University Clinic of the State University of Ecatepec Valley (CIU-UNEVE). Physiological outcome measures included heart rate (HR), the standard deviation of the normal-to-normal heartbeat intervals (SDNN), low (LF) and high frequency (HF) power, and the LF/HF ratio. Psychometric outcome measures included the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). Results: Compared to controls, hyperactive heart fire patients had higher HR (9.6 ± 2.62%), LF (22 ± 4.21%) and LF/HF ratio (23 ± 3.14%), and lower SDNN (21 ± 2.33%) and HF (18 ± 4.61%). Patients showed increased anxiety, both with somatic (33 ± 11.2%) and psychic symptoms (39 ± 10.5%) with more difficulty falling asleep (47 ± 9.9%) and diurnal impact of sleep (31 ± 9.6%). Conclusion: Hyperactive heart fire patients may have a sympathovagal imbalance due to a reduced parasympathetic tone and/or adominant sympathetic tone, which may be at the origin of the observed symptoms of insomnia and anxiety.

Isolation of IgG Antibodies to Toxocara in Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients with Acute Anterior Uveitis

Francisco-Javier Jiménez-Balderas,Janete García-Jaimes,Rita Ríos,Abraham Zonana-Nacach,Raquel Tapia-,Nayeli Villanueva,Patricia Méndez-Samperio,Jorge-Luis de-la-Rosa-Arana 대한안과학회 2014 Korean Journal of Ophthalmology Vol.28 No.3

Purpose: Since few reports had been published on the prevalence of toxocariasis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS)patients with acute non-granulomatous anterior uveitis (ANGAU), the aim of this work was to determine thepresence of antibodies against Toxocara canis in AS patients with ANGAU. Methods: Thirty-six patients (14 female and 22 male) with AS were enrolled in the study. The history of ANGAUwas accepted only if diagnosed by an ophthalmologist. The detection of IgG antibodies to T. canis was determinedby enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, antibodies to Ascaris lumbricoides were alsotested to verify non-specific reactions. Results: The prevalence of ANGAU in the AS patients was 58% (21 / 36), and 38% (8 / 21) of the patients withANGAU were positive for antibodies to Toxocara, while 7% (1 / 15) of AS patients without ANGAU were positivefor T. canis (p = 0.038, two tails; mid-p exact). No antibodies were detected to A. lumbricoides antigens inthe serum samples of patients with AS. Conclusions: These data suggest that the seroprevalence of antibodies to T. canis is high in Mexican patientswith AS-associated uveitis, suggesting a chronic asymptomatic toxocariosis, which could be associated withthe pathogenesis of ANGAU; however, further larger-scale studies are needed to confirm this observation.