2-Isopropyl-1,3-dimethylimidazolium as a versatile structure-directing agent in the synthesis of zeolites.

An organic cation lacking specificity in its structure-directing action offers the possibility, through the screening of other structure-directing parameters, to synthesize a variety of zeolites. In this work we show that the organic structure-directing agent 2-isopropyl-1,3-dimethylimidazolium (2iPr13DMI) can produce up to seven different zeolite phases depending on water concentration, the presence of inorganic impurities, crystallization temperature and time, and germanium molar fraction. The obtained phases are very different in terms of pore system, connectivity of the zeolite structure and structural units. At the pure SiO2 side, ZSM-12 and SSZ-35 dominate, with ZSM-12 being favored by the presence of potassium impurities and by less concentrated conditions. The introduction of Ge at low levels favors SSZ-35 over ZSM-12 and as the Ge fraction increases it successively affords CSV, -CLO and two distinct UOS zeolites, HPM-11 and HPM-6. These two zeolites have the same topology but distinct chemical compositions and display powder X-ray diffraction patterns that are much different from each other and from that of as-synthesized IM-16 (UOS reference material). They also show different symmetry at 96 K. Rietveld refinements of the three as-made UOS materials mentioned are provided. HPM-6 and HPM-11 are produced in distinct, non-adjacent crystallization fields. The frequent cocrystallization of the chiral STW zeolite, however, did not afford its synthesis as a pure phase. Molecular mechanics simulations of the location of the organic cation and host-guest interactions fail to explain the observed trends, but also considering the intrinsic stability of the zeolites and the effect of germanium help to rationalize the results. The study is completed by DFT calculations of the NMR chemical shifts of 13C in UOS (helping to understand splittings in the spectrum) and 19F in CSV (supporting the location of fluoride inside the new [4452], which is an incomplete double 4-ring).

ASGARD+: A New Modular Platform for Bacterial Antibiotic-Resistant Analysis.

ASGARD+ (Accelerated Sequential Genome-analysis and Antibiotic Resistance Detection) is a command-line platform for automatic identification of antibiotic-resistance genes in bacterial genomes, providing an easy-to-use interface to process big batches of sequence files from whole genome sequencing, with minimal configuration. It also provides a CPU-optimization algorithm that reduces the processing time. This tool consists of two main protocols. The first one, ASGARD, is based on the identification and annotation of antimicrobial resistance elements directly from the short reads using different public databases. SAGA, enables the alignment, indexing, and mapping of whole-genome samples against a reference genome for the detection and call of variants, as well as the visualization of the results through the construction of a tree of SNPs. The application of both protocols is performed using just one short command and one configuration file based on JSON syntax, which modulates each pipeline step, allowing the user to do as many interventions as needed on the different software tools that are adapted to the pipeline. The modular ASGARD+ allows researchers with little experience in bioinformatic analysis and command-line use to quickly explore bacterial genomes in depth, optimizing analysis times and obtaining accurate results. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: ASGARD+ installation Basic Protocol 2: Configuration files general setup Basic Protocol 3: ASGARD execution Support Protocol: Results visualization with Phandango Basic Protocol 4: SAGA execution Alternative Protocol 1: Container installation Alternative Protocol 2: Run ASGARD and SAGA in container.

Mucilage and cellulosic derivatives as clarifiers for the improvement of the non-centrifugal sugar production process.

Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is the second most important Colombian agribusiness in social importance. However, the sugar cane industry is facing some challenges caused by the controversial nutritional and safety attributes of NCS. Some Colombian NCS producers employ natural mucilages as clarifiers; but the uncontrolled application of these components has caused a risk of extinction in the mucilage source plants. Other producers employ acrylamide as a clarifier. Health consequences have generated concerns from the consumers and demanded control from the food authorities. Efforts are being made to develop a standard manufacturing methodology to increase NCS productivity and improve its quality, hygiene, and storability. The application of better clarifiers, which provide the best clarifying activity and minimize the toxicity while conserving NCS's natural attributes, is one of the outstanding challenges as well. This study is a proposal which looks for sustainable, natural, nontoxic, and economical clarifiers for the Colombian NCS producers.

Evaluation of metabolic syndromes and parasitic infection in Muscovy ducks under different management conditions.

Proper health management is essential for productivity in duck farming. However, there is limited information on the effect of management conditions on rates of metabolic problems and parasitic infections in anatids. We evaluated the rates of metabolic syndromes and gastrointestinal parasite involvement in Muscovy ducks up to 12 weeks of age, under 3 management conditions: backyard, organized, and organized with probiotics. Individuals under organized management developed 2 metabolic problems: ascites, which was rare (3.5%), fatal, and affected both males and females, and angel wing syndrome, which was more frequent (10.6%), has low impact on general health, and only affected males. The treatments do not have a significant effect on the development of ascites, but only individuals in controlled conditions presented this syndrome, and due to its low prevalence, further studies with a larger sample size are required. The risk of angel wing syndrome increased significantly with probiotic supplementation. Regarding to parasitic infection, the improvement of sanitary management and the use of probiotics supplementation reduced the occurrence of coccidiosis. Similarly organized management with probiotic supplementation showed a protective effect on helminthiasis by reducing the frequency of Heterakis gallinarum and greatly reducing the helminth egg load. Coccidiosis and helminthiasis infections were not significantly correlated with the final weight of the ducks. Therefore, organized management and the use of probiotics seems to reduce the impact of parasitic infection, although it increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

Structure-direction in the crystallization of ITW zeolites using 2-ethyl-1,3,4-trimethylimidazolium.

2-Ethyl-1,3,4-trimethylimidazolium is so far the fifth and largest imidazolium cation able to produce the pure silica zeolite ITW. The crystallization is not direct, but occurs as an in situ transformation from either the chiral HPM-1 (STW) zeolite or the new layered zeolite precursor HPM-2 (preMTF) and results in large interpenetrated crystals with a habit so far unseen in this zeolite. The results of chemical, physicochemical and structural characterization allow us to discuss structure-direction issues. The large cation is occluded intact in the zeolite, causing an expansion of the zeolite volume. The degree of polarization of the Si-O bond is similar to that observed in other as-made ITW zeolites.

Synthesis, structure, and optical activity of HPM-1, a pure silica chiral zeolite.

2-Ethyl-1,3,4-trimethylimidazolium is a poor organic structure-directing agent in the synthesis of pure silica zeolites using fluoride as a mineralizer at 150 °C. Under these conditions only ill-crystallized solids are obtained after long hydrothermal treatments (several weeks). It disappoints despite its relatively large size, conformational rigidity, and intermediate hydrophilic/hydrophobic character, attributes which would qualify it as a promising structure-directing agent, according to prior investigations. By raising the crystallization temperature to 175 °C under otherwise identical conditions, crystallization is dramatically accelerated. Depending on the water/silica ratio and crystallization time, two different materials are obtained: the recently reported pure silica polymorph of the chiral STW-type zeolite, HPM-1, and the new layered organosilicate, HPM-2. Prolonged heating transforms these phases into the small-pore ITW-type zeolite, while no signs of the SOF-type zeolite (formally built from the same layers as STW) was found. A complete physicochemical and structural characterization of the as-made chiral HPM-1 zeolite is provided, and the proposed stabilization of this zeolite by polarization of the Si-O bond is supported by the observed deviation from tetrahedrality. HPM-1 is optically active, and a study of several crystallites by Mueller matrix microscopy shows that their optical activity can be individually measured and that this technique could be useful for the assessment of the enantiomeric purity of a microcrystalline powder.

Benzylimidazolium cations as zeolite structure-directing agents. Differences in performance brought about by a small change in size.

Two imidazolium cations containing a benzyl group, 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium and 1-benzyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium, generally produce the large pore zeolite MTW when used as structure directing agents in the synthesis of pure silica zeolites by the fluoride route. When working at low water contents only the smallest of these cations is able to crystallize MFI, a zeolite with crossing medium pore channels. In that case, MFI is metastable towards MTW, but the in situ transformation slows down as the water content is decreased. Structure-direction is discussed in terms of hydrophobicity, flexibility and size of the cations. A conformational analysis shows that the bulkier 1-benzyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium is slightly more rigid than the smaller 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium, and thus could have been expected to depart more easily from crystallizing a default structure such as MTW. The different performance of both cations is investigated by molecular mechanics and the simulations show that the small increase in size brought about by a methyl group at position 2 of the imidazolium ring prevents an adequate sitting of the cation at channel intersections with the imidazolium ring close to the small cavity in which fluoride resides in MFI. The calculated interaction energies help to understand the phase selectivity and time evolution experimentally observed with both cations.

A pure silica chiral polymorph with helical pores.

A microporous polymorph of SiO(2), HPM-1, has a chiral structure and contains helical pores. The defect-free pure SiO(2) composition, which has been previously considered unfeasible for this structure type, bestows a high thermal and hydrothermal stability upon this material.

Acceso y uso de los servicios sanitarios por parte de los pacientes inmigrantes: la voz de los profesionales / The access to health services and their use by immigrant patients: the voice of the professionals

Objetivo: Conocer, desde el punto de vista de los profesionales de la salud, cómo acceden y utilizan los servicios sanitarios los distintos colectivos de inmigrantes. Diseño: Estudio cualitativo, descriptivo y fenomenológico realizado en Barcelona entre septiembre y diciembre de 2007. Emplazamiento: El estudio se situó en las 6 áreas básicas de salud de Barcelona que tienen un mayor porcentaje de población inmigrante y en 3 hospitales públicos. Participantes y/o contexto: 73 profesionales de atención primaria y hospitalaria. Se realizó un muestreo teórico de informantes que definieron 4 perfiles profesionales: cargos directivos o coordinadores, médicos, personal de enfermería y mediadores culturales. Método: Se realizaron 7 grupos de discusión y 12 entrevistas semiestructuradas a los profesionales. Las entrevistas y grupos se analizaron mediante el análisis narrativo del contenido. Resultados: Según los profesionales, los pacientes inmigrantes no encuentran barreras que les dificulten el acceso a los servicios sanitarios. Es unánime la percepción de que el servicio de urgencias es su principal puerta de acceso y que la mayoría de pacientes inmigrantes hacen una menor continuidad asistencial. Por último, los profesionales detectan diferencias en el acceso y uso de los servicios sanitarios según el origen y según el grado de integración social del colectivo en destino. Conclusiones: Los profesionales atribuyen el mayor uso de urgencias, el acceso tardío a los servicios sanitarios y la poca continuidad asistencial a una serie de factores relacionados con la precariedad económica y a aspectos relacionados con la inclusión social. Son necesarias estrategias de inclusión social para disminuir las desigualdades(AU)

Objective: To find out, from the health professionals’ point of view, how different immigrant groups access and use the health services. Design: Qualitative, descriptive and phenomenological study carried out in Barcelona between September and December of 2007. Setting: The study was carried out in the 6 Basic Health Areas of Barcelona, where there is a higher percentage of immigrant population, and in 3 public hospitals. Participants: A total of 73 hospital and primary health care professionals. Theoretical sampling was carried out on respondents who defined 4 professional profiles: directors or coordinators, physicians, nurses, and cultural mediators. Methods: There were 7 debate groups and 12 partly-structured interviews. Both the interviews and groups were analysed by a narrative analysis of the content. Results: The outcomes indicate that, according to the professionals, the immigrant patients do not find barriers that can make their access to health services more difficult. The perception that the emergency service is their main access gate for them is unanimous, as well as that most of the immigrant patients have less continuity of care. Finally, professionals detect differences in the access and use of health services depending on their origin and the level of social integration of the immigrant group. Conclusions: Professionals attribute a higher use of emergencies, late access to the health services, and less continuity of care, to a series of factors related to economic precariousness and to aspects related to the social inclusion. There is the room for social inclusion policies to reduce these inequalities(AU)

Zeolite structure direction by simple bis(methylimidazolium) cations: the effect of the spacer length on structure direction and of the imidazolium ring orientation on the 19F NMR resonances.

A series of doubly charged structure-directing agents based on two methylimidazolium moieties linked by a linear bridge of n = 3,4,5, or 6 methylene groups has been used in the synthesis of pure silica zeolites in the presence of fluoride. All of them yielded zeolite TON while only the one with n = 4 was able to produce also zeolite MFI at highly concentrated conditions. In this MFI zeolite, two distinct (19)F MAS NMR resonances with about equal intensity were observed, indicating two different chemical environments for occluded fluoride. With the singly charged 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation, which can be formally considered as the "monomer" of the bis-imidazolium cation with n = 4, TON and MFI were also obtained, and again two (19)F MAS NMR resonances now with largely dissimilar intensities were observed in MFI. Molecular mechanics simulations support a commensurate structure-direction effect for n = 4 in MFI, with each imidazolium ring, in two different orientations, sitting close to the [4(1)5(2)6(2)] cage. Periodic DFT calculations suggest that F in MFI resides always in the [4(1)5(2)6(2)] cages, with the different (19)F resonances observed being due to the different orientation of the closest imidazolium ring.

Zeolite synthesis in fluoride media: structure direction toward ITW by small methylimidazolium cations.

Pure silica ITW zeolite can be synthesized using 1,2,3-trimethylimidazolium and 1,3-dimethylimidazolium cations and fluoride anions as structure-directing agents (SDAs). Similarly to the previously reported 1,3,4-trimethylimidazolium, the dimethyl cation can also produce the zeolite TON, but this higher framework density phase finally transforms in situ into ITW. The structures of the as-made and calcined phases prepared with the new cations show a unit cell doubling along z, and the refined structures are reported. Periodic Density Functional Theory calculations provide the energies of the six SDA-ITW and SDA-TON zeolites, and their relative stabilities fully agree with the experimental observations. Structure-direction in this system is discussed from experimental and theoretical results that give strong support to the idea that strained silica frameworks are made possible in fluoride media by decreasing the covalent character of the Si-O bond. This decreased covalency is enhanced with the 1,2,3-trimethyl isomer, which is shown to be the strongest SDA for ITW and, at the same time, is the more hydrophilic of the three SDAs tested. Our observations with the three SDAs agree with the so-called Villaescusa's rule, i.e., the low framework density phase is favored at higher concentrations, but at the same time question the supersaturation hypothesis that has been proposed to explain this rule, since here the low-density phase is the most stable one.

[The access to health services and their use by immigrant patients: the voice of the professionals]. / Acceso y uso de los servicios sanitarios por parte de los pacientes inmigrantes: la voz de los profesionales.

OBJECTIVE: To find out, from the health professionals' point of view, how different immigrant groups access and use the health services. DESIGN: Qualitative, descriptive and phenomenological study carried out in Barcelona between September and December of 2007. SETTING: The study was carried out in the 6 Basic Health Areas of Barcelona, where there is a higher percentage of immigrant population, and in 3 public hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 73 hospital and primary health care professionals. Theoretical sampling was carried out on respondents who defined 4 professional profiles: directors or coordinators, physicians, nurses, and cultural mediators. METHODS: There were 7 debate groups and 12 partly-structured interviews. Both the interviews and groups were analysed by a narrative analysis of the content. RESULTS: The outcomes indicate that, according to the professionals, the immigrant patients do not find barriers that can make their access to health services more difficult. The perception that the emergency service is their main access gate for them is unanimous, as well as that most of the immigrant patients have less continuity of care. Finally, professionals detect differences in the access and use of health services depending on their origin and the level of social integration of the immigrant group. CONCLUSIONS: Professionals attribute a higher use of emergencies, late access to the health services, and less continuity of care, to a series of factors related to economic precariousness and to aspects related to the social inclusion. There is the room for social inclusion policies to reduce these inequalities.