Analysis and Economic Evaluation of the Use of Recycled Polyamide Powder in Masonry Mortars.

Due to the considerable amount of waste plastics and polymers that are produced annually, the introduction of these waste products in construction materials is becoming a recurrent solution to recycle them. Among polymers, polyamide represents an important proportion of polymer waste. In this study, sustainable and lightweight mortars were designed and elaborated, substituting the aggregates by polyamide powder waste. Mortars were produced with various dosages of cement/aggregates, and the polyamide substitutions were 25, 50, 75, and 100% of the aggregates. The aim of this paper is to determine the density and the compressive strength of the manufactured mortars to observe the feasibility for being employed as masonry or rendering and plastering mortars. Results showed that with increasing polymer substitution, lower densities were achieved, ranging from 1850 to 790 kg/m3 in modified mortars. Mortars with densities below 1300 kg/m3 are cataloged as lightweight mortars. Furthermore, compressive strength also decreased with more polyamide substitution. Obtained values in recycled mortars were between 15.77 and 2.10 MPa, but the majority of the values (eight out of 12) were over 5 MPa. Additionally, an economic evaluation was performed, and it was observed that the use of waste polyamide implies an important cost reduction, apart from the advantage of not having to manage this waste material. Consequently, not only the mechanical properties of the new recycled materials were verified as well as its economic viability.

Characterization of Polyurethane Foam Waste for Reuse in Eco-Efficient Building Materials.

In the European Union, the demand for polyurethane is continually growing. In 2017, the estimated value of polyurethane production was 700,400 Tn, of which 27.3% is taken to landfill, which causes an environmental problem. In this paper, the behaviour of various polyurethane foams from the waste of different types of industries will be analyzed with the aim of assessing their potential use in construction materials. To achieve this, the wastes were chemically tested by means of CHNS, TGA, and leaching tests. They were tested microstructurally by means of SEM. The processing parameters of the waste was calculated after identifying its granulometry and its physical properties i.e., density and water absorption capacity. In addition, the possibility of incorporating these wastes in plaster matrices was studied by determining their rendering in an operational context, finding out their mechanical resistance to flexion and compression at seven days, their reaction to fire as well as their weight per unit of area, and their thermal behaviour. The results show that in all cases, the waste is inert and does not undergo leaching. The generation process of the waste determines the foam's microstructure in addition to its physical-chemical properties, which directly affect building materials in which they are included, thus offering different ways in which they can be applied.

Development of an intervention delivered by mobile phone aimed at decreasing unintended pregnancy among young people in three lower middle income countries.

BACKGROUND: Unintended pregnancies can result in poorer health outcomes for women, children and families. Young people in low and middle income countries are at particular risk of unintended pregnancies and could benefit from innovative contraceptive interventions. There is growing evidence that interventions delivered by mobile phone can be effective in improving a range of health behaviours. This paper describes the development of a contraceptive behavioural intervention delivered by mobile phone for young people in Tajikistan, Bolivia and Palestine, where unmet need for contraception is high among this group. METHODS: Guided by Intervention Mapping, the following steps contributed to the development of the interventions: (1) needs assessment; (2) specifying behavioural change to result from the intervention; (3) selecting behaviour change methods to include in the intervention; (4) producing and refining the intervention content. RESULTS: The results of the needs assessment produced similar interventions across the countries. The interventions consist of short daily messages delivered over 4 months (delivered by text messaging in Palestine and mobile phone application instant messages in Bolivia and Tajikistan). The messages provide information about contraception, target attitudes that are barriers to contraceptive uptake and support young people in feeling that they can influence their reproductive health. The interventions each contain the same ten behaviour change methods, adapted for delivery by mobile phone. CONCLUSIONS: The development resulted in a well-specified, theory-based intervention, tailored to each country. It is feasible to develop an intervention delivered by mobile phone for young people in resource-limited settings.

An Intervention Delivered by App Instant Messaging to Increase Acceptability and Use of Effective Contraception Among Young Women in Bolivia: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Unintended pregnancy is associated with numerous poorer health outcomes for both women and their children. Fulfilling unmet need for contraception is essential in avoiding unintended pregnancies, yet millions of women in low- and middle-income countries continue to face obstacles in realizing their fertility desires. In Bolivia, family planning progress has improved in recent decades but lags behind other countries in the region. Unmet need for contraception among women aged 15 to 19 years is estimated to be 38%, with the adolescent fertility rate at 70 per 1000 women. Mobile phones are an established and popular mode in which to deliver health behavior support. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Centro de Investigación, Educación y Servicios in Bolivia have partnered to develop and evaluate a contraceptive behavioral intervention for Bolivian young women delivered by mobile phone. The intervention was developed guided by behavioral science and consists of short instant messages sent through an app over 4 months. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of the intervention on young women's use of and attitudes toward the most effective contraceptive methods. METHODS: We will allocate 1310 women aged 16 to 24 years with an unmet need for contraception in a 1:1 ratio to receive the intervention messages or the control messages about trial participation. The messages are sent through the Tú decides app, which contains standard family planning information. Coprimary outcomes are use and acceptability of at least one effective contraceptive method, both measured at 4 months. RESULTS: Recruitment commenced on March 1, 2017 and was completed on July 29, 2017. We estimate that the follow-up period will end in January 2018. CONCLUSIONS: This trial will evaluate the effect of the intervention on young women's use of and attitudes toward the (nonpermanent) effective contraception methods available in Bolivia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02905526; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02905526 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6vT0yIFfN).

Click Chemistry for Analysis of Cell Proliferation in Flow Cytometry.

The measurement of cellular proliferation is fundamental to the assessment of cellular health, genotoxicity, and the evaluation of drug efficacy. Labeling, detection, and quantification of cells in the synthesis phase of cell cycle progression are not only important for characterizing basic biology, but also in defining cellular responses to drug treatments. Changes in DNA replication during S-phase can provide valuable insights into mechanisms of cell growth, cell cycle kinetics, and cytotoxicity. A common method for detection of cell proliferation is the incorporation of a thymidine analog during DNA synthesis. This chapter presents a pulse labeling method using the thymidine analog, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), with subsequent detection by click chemistry. EdU detection using click chemistry is bio-orthogonal to most living systems and does not non-specifically label other biomolecules. Live cells are first pulsed with EdU. After antibody labeling cell surface markers, fixation, and permeabilization, the incorporated EdU is covalently labeled using click chemistry thereby identifying proliferating cells. Improvements in click chemistry allow for labeling in the presence of fluorescent proteins and phycobiliproteins without quenching due to copper. Measuring DNA replication during cell cycle progression has cell health applications in flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and high content imaging. This protocol has been developed and optimized for research use only and is not suitable for use in diagnostic procedures. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Humanized Mice Infected with HIV-1.

Co-infection with HIV increases the morbidity and mortality associated with tuberculosis due to multiple factors including a poorly understood microbial synergy. We developed a novel small animal model of co-infection in the humanized mouse to investigate how HIV infection disrupts pulmonary containment of Mtb. Following dual infection, HIV-infected cells were localized to sites of Mtb-driven inflammation and mycobacterial replication in the lung. Consistent with disease in human subjects, we observed increased mycobacterial burden, loss of granuloma structure, and increased progression of TB disease, due to HIV co-infection. Importantly, we observed an HIV-dependent pro-inflammatory cytokine signature (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNFα, and IL-8), neutrophil accumulation, and greater lung pathology in the Mtb-co-infected lung. These results suggest that in the early stages of acute co-infection in the humanized mouse, infection with HIV exacerbates the pro-inflammatory response to pulmonary Mtb, leading to poorly formed granulomas, more severe lung pathology, and increased mycobacterial burden and dissemination.

A humanized mouse model of tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) is the second leading infectious cause of death worldwide and the primary cause of death in people living with HIV/AIDS. There are several excellent animal models employed to study tuberculosis (TB), but many have limitations for reproducing human pathology and none are amenable to the direct study of HIV/M.tb co-infection. The humanized mouse has been increasingly employed to explore HIV infection and other pathogens where animal models are limiting. Our goal was to develop a small animal model of M.tb infection using the bone marrow, liver, thymus (BLT) humanized mouse. NOD-SCID/γc(null) mice were engrafted with human fetal liver and thymus tissue, and supplemented with CD34(+) fetal liver cells. Excellent reconstitution, as measured by expression of the human CD45 pan leukocyte marker by peripheral blood populations, was observed at 12 weeks after engraftment. Human T cells (CD3, CD4, CD8), as well as natural killer cells and monocyte/macrophages were all observed within the human leukocyte (CD45(+)) population. Importantly, human T cells were functionally competent as determined by proliferative capacity and effector molecule (e.g. IFN-γ, granulysin, perforin) expression in response to positive stimuli. Animals infected intranasally with M.tb had progressive bacterial infection in the lung and dissemination to spleen and liver from 2-8 weeks post infection. Sites of infection in the lung were characterized by the formation of organized granulomatous lesions, caseous necrosis, bronchial obstruction, and crystallization of cholesterol deposits. Human T cells were distributed throughout the lung, liver, and spleen at sites of inflammation and bacterial growth and were organized to the periphery of granulomas. These preliminary results demonstrate the potential to use the humanized mouse as a model of experimental TB.

Antibacterial role for natural killer cells in host defense to Bacillus anthracis.

Natural killer (NK) cells have innate antibacterial activity that could be targeted for clinical interventions for infectious disease caused by naturally occurring or weaponized bacterial pathogens. To determine a potential role for NK cells in immunity to Bacillus anthracis, we utilized primary human and murine NK cells, in vitro assays, and in vivo NK cell depletion in a murine model of inhalational anthrax. Our results demonstrate potent antibacterial activity by human NK cells against B. anthracis bacilli within infected autologous monocytes. Surprisingly, NK cells also mediate moderate antibacterial effects on extracellular vegetative bacilli but do not have activity against extracellular or intracellular spores. The immunosuppressive anthrax lethal toxin impairs NK gamma interferon (IFN-γ) expression, but neither lethal nor edema toxin significantly alters the viability or cytotoxic effector function of NK cells. Compared to human NK cells, murine NK cells have a similar, though less potent, activity against intracellular and extracellular B. anthracis. The in vivo depletion of murine NK cells does not alter animal survival following intranasal infection with B. anthracis spores in our studies but significantly increases the bacterial load in the blood of infected animals. Our studies demonstrate that NK cells participate in the innate immune response against B. anthracis and suggest that immune modulation to augment NK cell function in early stages of anthrax should be further explored in animal models as a clinical intervention strategy.

Outbreak caused by cad-negative Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O111, Oklahoma.

An outbreak of severe diarrheal illness was recently reported in northeastern Oklahoma, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli serotype O111 was identified as the etiological agent. Our results indicated that this isolate is unable to decarboxylate lysine, a characteristic that is shared with other outbreak-linked O111 isolates. Therefore, further investigation is recommended to determine whether the lysine decarboxylase test could be used to identify a subset of pathogenic E. coli, particularly Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O111 isolates, that have the potential of causing human infections and outbreaks.

Thirty years of land-cover change in Bolivia.

Land-cover change in eastern lowland Bolivia was documented using Landsat images from five epochs for all landscapes situated below the montane tree line at approximately 3000 m, including humid forest, inundated forest, seasonally dry forest, and cloud forest, as well as scrublands and grasslands. Deforestation in eastern Bolivia in 2004 covered 45,411 km2, representing approximately 9% of the original forest cover, with an additional conversion of 9042 km2 of scrub and savanna habitats representing 17% of total historical land-cover change. Annual rates of land-cover change increased from approximately 400 km2 y(-1) in the 1960s to approximately 2900 km2 y(-1) in the last epoch spanning 2001 to 2004. This study provides Bolivia with a spatially explicit information resource to monitor future land-cover change, a prerequisite for proposed mechanisms to compensate countries for reducing carbon emissions as a result of deforestation. A comparison of the most recent epoch with previous periods shows that policies enacted in the late 1990s to promote forest conservation had no observable impact on reducing deforestation and that deforestation actually increased in some protected areas. The rate of land-cover change continues to increase linearly nationwide, but is growing faster in the Santa Cruz department because of the expansion of mechanized agriculture and cattle farms.

Estudio descriptivo y comparativo de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual, utilizados en narraciones orales y escritas por niños con necesidades educativas especiales (con retardo mental leve) integrados a la escuela común, y por los niños normales del mismo grado / Description study and comparative of the basic narrative structure and the recourses of coherence and cohesion textual, utilization in oral narration and readers forchildren with special educative necessities (with mental level retard) integrated to

El propósito de este trabajo fue describir y comparar las narraciones orales y escritas producidas - en abril de 1997 - por los niños integrantes de dos poblaciones: una formada por seis niños con necesidades educativas esepciales (con Retardo Mental Leve) integrados a la escuela común, y otra constituída por seis compañeros normales. Ambas, se encontraban cursando el 5to. grado de la Escuela Nro. 7 "General Manuel Belgrano", de la ciudad de San Nicolás, Buenos Aires. El problema planteado fue analizar la presencia/ausencia de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual de los textos producidos por los niños. El procesamiento consistió en solicitar a cada niño, individualmente, que narre un cuento - primero en forma oral, luego escrita - a partir de imágenes extraídas de un libro. Los resultados obt4enidos fueron: El 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 83,3 por ciento de los integrados, logrando correspondencia parcial con las categorías que constituyen la estructura narrativa, en narración oral; el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 66,7 por ciento de los integrados lograron correspondencia parcial en narración escrita. El resto de los niños, correspondencia total. El 66,7 por ciento de los niños normales y el l6,7 por ciento de los integrados, utilizaron recursos de coherencia y cohesión en narración oral, el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y ninguno de los integrados los usaron en narración escrita. El resto de los niños no los utilizó. A pesar de que se obtuvieron mejores resultados con los niños normales, se encontraron dificultades similares en ambos grupos

Estudio descriptivo y comparativo de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual, utilizados en narraciones orales y escritas por niños con necesidades educativas especiales (con retardo mental leve) integrados a la escuela común, y por los niños normales del mismo grado / Description study and comparative of the basic narrative structure and the recourses of coherence and cohesion textual, utilization in oral narration and readers forchildren with special educative necessities (with mental level retard) integrated to the commun school and for the children normals of the same grade

El propósito de este trabajo fue describir y comparar las narraciones orales y escritas producidas - en abril de 1997 - por los niños integrantes de dos poblaciones: una formada por seis niños con necesidades educativas esepciales (con Retardo Mental Leve) integrados a la escuela común, y otra constituída por seis compañeros normales. Ambas, se encontraban cursando el 5to. grado de la Escuela Nro. 7 "General Manuel Belgrano", de la ciudad de San Nicolás, Buenos Aires. El problema planteado fue analizar la presencia/ausencia de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual de los textos producidos por los niños. El procesamiento consistió en solicitar a cada niño, individualmente, que narre un cuento - primero en forma oral, luego escrita - a partir de imágenes extraídas de un libro. Los resultados obt4enidos fueron: El 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 83,3 por ciento de los integrados, logrando correspondencia parcial con las categorías que constituyen la estructura narrativa, en narración oral; el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 66,7 por ciento de los integrados lograron correspondencia parcial en narración escrita. El resto de los niños, correspondencia total. El 66,7 por ciento de los niños normales y el l6,7 por ciento de los integrados, utilizaron recursos de coherencia y cohesión en narración oral, el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y ninguno de los integrados los usaron en narración escrita. El resto de los niños no los utilizó. A pesar de que se obtuvieron mejores resultados con los niños normales, se encontraron dificultades similares en ambos grupos(AU)

Estudio descriptivo y comparativo de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual, utilizados en narraciones orales y escritas por niños con necesidades educativas especiales (con retardo mental leve) integrados a la escuela común, y por los niños normales del mismo grado / Description study and comparative of the basic narrative structure and the recourses of coherence and cohesion textual, utilization in oral narration and readers forchildren with special educative necessities (with mental level retard) integrated to the commun school and for the children normals of the same grade

El propósito de este trabajo fue describir y comparar las narraciones orales y escritas producidas - en abril de 1997 - por los niños integrantes de dos poblaciones: una formada por seis niños con necesidades educativas esepciales (con Retardo Mental Leve) integrados a la escuela común, y otra constituída por seis compañeros normales. Ambas, se encontraban cursando el 5to. grado de la Escuela Nro. 7 "General Manuel Belgrano", de la ciudad de San Nicolás, Buenos Aires. El problema planteado fue analizar la presencia/ausencia de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual de los textos producidos por los niños. El procesamiento consistió en solicitar a cada niño, individualmente, que narre un cuento - primero en forma oral, luego escrita - a partir de imágenes extraídas de un libro. Los resultados obt4enidos fueron: El 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 83,3 por ciento de los integrados, logrando correspondencia parcial con las categorías que constituyen la estructura narrativa, en narración oral; el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 66,7 por ciento de los integrados lograron correspondencia parcial en narración escrita. El resto de los niños, correspondencia total. El 66,7 por ciento de los niños normales y el l6,7 por ciento de los integrados, utilizaron recursos de coherencia y cohesión en narración oral, el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y ninguno de los integrados los usaron en narración escrita. El resto de los niños no los utilizó. A pesar de que se obtuvieron mejores resultados con los niños normales, se encontraron dificultades similares en ambos grupos(AU)

Estudio descriptivo y comparativo de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual, utilizados en narraciones orales y escritas por niños con necesidades educativas especiales (con retardo mental leve) integrados a la escuela común, y por los niños normales del mismo grado / Description study and comparative of the basic narrative structure and the recourses of coherence and cohesion textual, utilization in oral narration and readers forchildren with special educative necessities (with mental level retard) integrated to the commun school and for the children normals of the same grade

El propósito de este trabajo fue describir y comparar las narraciones orales y escritas producidas - en abril de 1997 - por los niños integrantes de dos poblaciones: una formada por seis niños con necesidades educativas esepciales (con Retardo Mental Leve) integrados a la escuela común, y otra constituída por seis compañeros normales. Ambas, se encontraban cursando el 5to. grado de la Escuela Nro. 7 "General Manuel Belgrano", de la ciudad de San Nicolás, Buenos Aires. El problema planteado fue analizar la presencia/ausencia de la estructura básica del discurso narrativo y de los recursos de coherencia y cohesión textual de los textos producidos por los niños. El procesamiento consistió en solicitar a cada niño, individualmente, que narre un cuento - primero en forma oral, luego escrita - a partir de imágenes extraídas de un libro. Los resultados obt4enidos fueron: El 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 83,3 por ciento de los integrados, logrando correspondencia parcial con las categorías que constituyen la estructura narrativa, en narración oral; el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y el 66,7 por ciento de los integrados lograron correspondencia parcial en narración escrita. El resto de los niños, correspondencia total. El 66,7 por ciento de los niños normales y el l6,7 por ciento de los integrados, utilizaron recursos de coherencia y cohesión en narración oral, el 50 por ciento de los niños normales y ninguno de los integrados los usaron en narración escrita. El resto de los niños no los utilizó. A pesar de que se obtuvieron mejores resultados con los niños normales, se encontraron dificultades similares en ambos grupos(AU)