Kinetic and Thermodynamic Aspects of the Degradation of Ferritic Steels Immersed in Solar Salt.

The study and improvement of the corrosion resistance of materials used in concentrated solar power plants is a permanent field of research. This involves determining their chemical stability when in contact with heat transfer fluids, such as molten nitrate salts. Various studies indicate an improvement in the corrosion resistance of iron-based alloys with the incorporation of elements that show high reactivity and solubility in molten nitrate salts, such as Cr and Mo.

Corrosion Inhibition in CO-Saturated Brine by Nd Ions.

This study reports the use of an inorganic corrosion inhibitor to mitigate dissolved CO-induced corrosion. Using electrochemical techniques (polarization curves, open circuit potential, polarization resistance, and electrochemical impedance), the effect of adding Nd ions on the corrosion resistance of X52 steel immersed in CO-saturated brine at 20 °C and 60 °C was evaluated. The polarization curves showed that the Icorr values tend to decrease with increasing Nd ion concentration, up to the optimal inhibition concentration, and that the corrosion potential increases at nobler values.

Behavior of Ni20Cr Alloy in Molten Nitrate Salts.

This study reports the behavior of the Ni20Cr alloy in molten nitrate salts. Its behavior was evaluated in the eutectic mixture called Solar Salt (binary salt) and in a ternary mixture (90% Solar Salt and 10% lanthanum nitrate). The addition of lanthanum nitrate was performed to determine if the presence of the La cation could act as a corrosion inhibitor.

Corrosion Behavior of Al Modified with Zn in Chloride Solution.

Aluminum-based alloys have been considered candidate materials for cathodic protection anodes. However, the Al-based alloys can form a layer of alumina, which is a drawback in a sacrificial anode. The anodes must exhibit uniform corrosion to achieve better performance.

The Emergence of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 4d Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients in Mexico City: A Molecular Epidemiological Study.

The recent detection of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 infection in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients prompted performing molecular characterization of these isolates. All the Mexican isolates belonged to a subcluster within the 4d group and shared a common ancestor with a French isolate. The estimated timing of introduction in Mexico City was as recent as December 2015.

Baseline Hepatitis C Virus NS5A Resistance-Associated Polymorphisms in Patients With and Without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection in Mexico.

We aimed to evaluate the frequency and associated factors of baseline NS5A resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) in patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) monoinfection with genotype 1b (GT1b) or genotype 1a (GT1a). Moreover, we performed a phylogenetic analysis to evaluate the pattern of clustering among samples of patients with RASs. Fifty-five patients were infected with GT1a, of whom 44 (80%) were HIV-infected patients.

Persistent high levels of immune activation and their correlation with the HIV-1 proviral DNA and 2-LTR circles loads, in a cohort of Mexican individuals following long-term and fully suppressive treatment.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the HIV-1 reservoir and the levels of immune activation in chronic patients under fully suppressive cART.

Methods: We quantified the HIV proviral DNA and 2-LTR circles loads from PBMCs, the levels of CD38+ and Ki-67+ T-cells, and the levels of IL-7 in a cohort of patients with more than 5 years of ART at enrollment and after 1 year.

Results: In 29 participants with a median of 8 years (IQR, 6.

Electrochemical Performance of Fe40Al-X (X = Cr, Ti, Co, Ni) Alloys Exposed to Artificial Saliva.

Fe-Al intermetallic compounds have been considered excellent candidates as alternative alloys for various applications in corrosive environments compared to other Fe-based alloys. Their excellent corrosion resistance is due to the development of an Al-based passive layer. The performance of the passive layer can be improved by adding a third alloy element.

HIV-1 acquired drug resistance to integrase inhibitors in a cohort of antiretroviral therapy multi-experienced Mexican patients failing to raltegravir: a cross-sectional study.

Background: In resource-limited settings, multi-experienced HIV infected patients are often prescribed raltegravir for salvage therapy. Patients failing raltegravir-containing regimens require other drugs including other integrase inhibitors. In this context, real-life data about the resistance and cross-resistance pathways between integrase inhibitors is limited.

Human and ecological determinants of the spatial structure of local breed diversity.

Since domestication, a large number of livestock breeds adapted to local conditions have been created by natural and artificial selection, representing one of the most powerful ways in which human groups have constructed niches to meet their need. Although many authors have described local breeds as the result of culturally and environmentally mediated processes, this study, located in mainland Spain, is the first aimed at identifying and quantifying the environmental and human contributions to the spatial structure of local breed diversity, which we refer to as livestock niche. We found that the more similar two provinces were in terms of human population, ecological characteristics, historical ties, and geographic distance, the more similar the composition of local breeds in their territories.

From surnames to linguistic and genetic diversity: five centuries of internal migrations in Spain.

In a previous study concerning 33,753 single Spanish surnames (considered as tokens) occurring 51,419,788 times we have shown that the present-day geography of contemporary surname variability in Spain still corresponds to the political geography of the country at the end of the Middle Ages. Here we reprocess the same database, by clustering surnames with Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) according to their geographic distribution, to identify the monophyletic surnames showing a geo-historical origin in one of the 47 provinces of continental Spain. They are 25,714, and they occur 12,348,109 times, meaning that about 75% of the Spanish population bears a surname that had a polyphyletic origin.

Degradation capacities of bacteria and yeasts isolated from the gut of Dendroctonus rhizophagus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

Bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) feed on the xylem and phloem of their host, which are composed of structural carbohydrates and organic compounds that are not easily degraded by the insects. Some of these compounds might be hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes produced by microbes present in the gut of these insects. In this study, we evaluated the enzymatic capacity of bacteria (Acinetobacter lwoffii, Arthrobacter sp.

Footprints of middle ages kingdoms are still visible in the contemporary surname structure of Spain.

To assess whether the present-day geographical variability of Spanish surnames mirrors historical phenomena occurred at the times of their introduction (13th-16th century), and to infer the possible effect of foreign immigration (about 11% of present-day) on the observed patterns of diversity, we have analyzed the frequency distribution of 33,753 unique surnames (tokens) occurring 51,419,788 times, according to the list of Spanish residents of the year 2008. Isonymy measures and surname distances have been computed for, and between, the 47 mainland Spanish provinces and compared to a numerical classification of corresponding language varieties spoken in Spain. The comparison of the two bootstrap consensus trees, representing surname and linguistic variability, suggests a similar picture; major clusters are located in the east (Aragón, Cataluña, Valencia), and in the north of the country (Asturias, Galicia, León).

Transmitted HIV drug resistance among drug-naive subjects recently infected with HIV in Mexico City: a World Health Organization survey to classify resistance and to field test two alternative patient enrollment methods.

In 2004, the World Health Organization performed a survey to assess transmitted drug resistance in Mexico City among drug-naive persons with newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and likely to be recently infected who were attending 3 voluntary counseling and testing sites. A parallel study comparing 2 alternative methods of enrolling survey participant was conducted in 9 voluntary counseling and testing sites in central Mexico. In study arm 1, subject information, consent and blood specimens were obtained during the HIV diagnostic testing visit.

Consanguinity in two Spanish regions: La Cabrera and Fuentes Carrionas. Dispensations and isonymy.

In this work the level and structure of consanguinity is analysed in two Spanish rural regions of similar geographic and orographic characteristics for the period between 1880 and 1979, employing two different methodologies. The estimates according dispensations shows that the total levels (alpha4 = 0.00552 in La Cabrera and 0.

Genetic structure of a rural region in Spain: distribution of surnames and gene flow.

The biodemography of isolated populations with a subsistence economy is of special interest because the conditions to which the populations have been subjected are similar to those present over a large part of the history of our species, and hence the conclusions drawn can be extrapolated to other similar populations. In the present work, we used two recently employed techniques (self-organizing maps and Monmonier's algorithm) to study the genetic structure of a small rural region: Fuentes Carrionas (province of Palencia, Spain). The study was based on information contained in marriage registers and family reconstructions for the period 1880-1979.

HIV Drug Resistance-Associated Mutations in Antiretroviral Naïve HIV-1-Infected Latin American Children.

Our goal was to describe the presence of HIV drug resistance among HIV-1-infected, antiretroviral (ARV) naïve children and adolescents in Latin America and to examine resistance in these children in relation to drug exposure in the mother. Genotyping was performed on plasma samples obtained at baseline from HIV-1-infected participants in a prospective cohort study in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico (NISDI Pediatric Study). Of 713 HIV-infected children enrolled, 69 were ARV naïve and eligible for the analysis.

Antiretroviral resistance among HIV type 1-infected women first exposed to antiretrovirals during pregnancy: plasma versus PBMCs.

Resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) in plasma samples from HIV-1-infected women who received antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis during pregnancy was assessed and correlated with the detection of RAMs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs). The study population was composed of HIV-1-infected women enrolled in a prospective cohort study in Latin America and the Caribbean (NISDI Perinatal Study) as of March 1, 2005, who were diagnosed with HIV-1 infection during the current pregnancy, who received ARVs during pregnancy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1, and who were followed through at least the 6-12 week postpartum visit. Plasma samples collected at enrollment during pregnancy and at 6-12 weeks postpartum were assayed for RAMs.

Early HCV RNA changes in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with peginterferon alfa 2b and ribavirin.

Introduction: Currently, interferon alfa and ribavirin are the mainstay of therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C. Recently the pegylation of interferon has allowed a once weekly application, resulting in an increased sustained viral response rate. The analysis of serum HCV dynamics has been shown to be useful in predicting clinical effects and optimizing the treatment regimen.