Design, Manufacture and Characterization of an Acoustic Barrier Made of Multi-Phenomena Cylindrical Scatterers Arranged in a Fractal-Based Geometry

In this work we present the design and the manufacturing processes, as well as the acoustics standard-ization tests, of an acoustic barrier formed by a set of multi-phenomena cylindrical scatterers. Periodic arrangements of acoustic scatterers embedded in a fluid medium with different physical properties are usually called Sonic Crystals. The multiple scattering of waves inside these structures leads to attenuation bands related to the periodicity of the structure by means of Bragg scattering. In order to design the acoustic barrier, two strategies have been used: First, the arrangement of scatterers is based on fractal geometries to maximize the Bragg scattering; econd, multi-phenomena scatterers with several noise con- trol mechanisms, as resonances or absorption, are designed and used to construct the periodic array. The acoustic barrier reported in this work provides a high technological solution in the field of noise control.This work was supported by MCI Secretaria de Estado de Investigacion (Spanish government) and the FEDER funds, under Grant No. MAT2009-09438 and by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Programa INNOVA 2010) under grant "INNOVA 2010 PDC PANTALLA ACUSTICA". The authors would like to thank Applus+ (LGAI Technological Center S.A.) for their help. V.R.G. is grateful for the support of post-doctoral contracts of the UPV (CEI-01-11).Castiñeira Ibáñez, S.; Rubio Michavila, C.; Romero García, V.; Sánchez Pérez, JV.; García Raffi, LM. (2012). Design, Manufacture and Characterization of an Acoustic Barrier Made of Multi-Phenomena Cylindrical Scatterers Arranged in a Fractal-Based Geometry. Archives of Acoustics. 37(4):455-462. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10168-012-0057-9S45546237

Detection of lymph node metastasis in lung cancer patients using a one-step nucleic acid amplification assay: a single-centre prospective study

BACKGROUND: The use of one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) allows for lymph node (LN) metastasis to be detected rapidly and accurately. We conducted a prospective single-centre clinical trial to evaluate OSNA assay in detecting LN metastasis of lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 705 LNs from 160 patients with clinical stage IA to IVA lung cancer were included in this study. The LNs were divided and submitted to routine histological diagnosis and OSNA assay and the results were compared. We also examined keratin 19 expression of different histological types lung primary tumours. RESULTS: When the cut-off value was set to 250 copies/microl, the concordance rate between the two methods was 96.17% and the sensitivity 97.14%. Discordant results were observed in 27 LNs of 21 patients. Most of these discordant results were molecular micrometastasis expressing a very low number of copies with negative histology. Most thoracic tumours were positive for keratin 19. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that the OSNA assay might be a useful and sensitive method to diagnose LN metastasis in lung cancer and could be applied to intraoperative decision-making in personalised lung cancer surgery based on LN status and a more accurate staging of patients

Plan de negocio para determinar la viabilidad de constituir una empresa de dise?o y fabricaci?n de m?quinas trituradoras de Cizalla

Nuestra tesis, enfocada en la fabricaci?n de maquinaria industrial, aspira a ser una buena opci?n manufacturera que brinde: valor agregado a la materia prima, genere empleo y sobretodo que beneficie a la sociedad y al medio ambiente. Para ello, hemos identificado un problema de com?n denominador a nivel mundial, la excesiva generaci?n de residuos s?lidos, en contraparte hemos revisado soluciones para corregir y/o aliviar esta situaci?n, eligiendo la m?quina trituradora de cizalla como la opci?n m?s amigable y confiable para reducir el tama?o de los residuos s?lidos, cualquiera sea su origen. Para el Estudio de Mercado, ten?amos que estudiar el proceso de gesti?n de residuos s?lidos en Lima Metropolitana; y elegir certeramente nuestra posible cartera de clientes, en algunos casos ideando estrategias para crear la demanda la cual era nula. Estimada la demanda, ideamos el Plan de Marketing que haga atractivo y sostenible nuestro Plan de Negocio y en funci?n a ello creamos nuestro Plan de Operaciones, considerando proveedores, procesos, costos y legislaci?n vigente. Finalmente nuestro Plan Financiero reflej? que nuestra idea de negocio s? era rentable y atractiva. Esperamos que esta Tesis sea de gu?a para futuras ideas de negocios en nuestra incipiente industria manufacturera peruana

Primary systemic therapy in HER2-positive operable breast cancer using trastuzumab and chemotherapy: efficacy data, cardiotoxicity and long-term follow-up in 142 patients diagnosed from 2005 to 2016 at a single institution

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, cardiotoxicity profile and long-term benefits of neoadjuvant therapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive operable breast cancer patients. Patients and methods: A total of 142 patients diagnosed from 2005 to 2016 were included in the study. The treatment consisted of a sequential regimen of taxanes and anthracyclines plus trastuzumab. The clinical and pathological responses were evaluated and correlated with clinical and biological factors. The cardiotoxicity profile and long-term benefits were analyzed. Results: The median age was 49 years, and 4%, 69% and 27% of patients had stage I, II and III breast cancer, respectively, while 10% had inflammatory breast cancer at diagnosis. Hormone receptor (HR) status was negative in 43%, and 62% had grade III breast cancer. The clinical complete response rate was 49% and 63% as assessed using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively, and this allowed a high rate of conservative surgery (66%). The pathological complete response (pCR) rate was 52%, and it was higher in HR-negative (64%) patients than in HR-positive (41%) patients and in grade III breast cancer (53%) patients than in grade I-II breast cancer (45%) patients. Patients who achieved pCR had longer disease-free survival and a trend toward improved overall survival. A total of 2% of patients showed a 10% decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction to <50% during treatment. All patients except one recovered after discontinuation of trastuzumab. Conclusion: A sequential regimen of taxanes and anthracyclines plus trastuzumab was effective, with high pCR rates and long-term benefit, and had a very good cardiotoxicity profile

A new wildland fire danger index for a Mediterranean region and some validation aspects

Wildland fires are the main cause of tree mortality in Mediterranean Europe and a major threat to Spanish forests. This paper focuses on the design and validation of a new wildland fire index especially adapted to a Mediterranean Spanish region. The index considers ignition and spread danger components. Indicators of natural and human ignition agents, historical occurrence, fuel conditions and fire spread make up the hierarchical structure of the index. Multi-criteria methods were used to incorporate experts¿ opinion in the process of weighting the indicators and to carry out the aggregation of components into the final index, which is used to map the probability of daily fire occurrence on a 0.5-km grid. Generalised estimating equation models, which account for possible correlated responses, were used to validate the index, accommodating its values onto a larger scale because historical records of daily fire occurrence, which constitute the dependent variable, are referred to cells on a 10-km grid. Validation results showed good index performance, good fit of the logistic model and acceptable discrimination power. Therefore, the index will improve the ability of fire prevention services in daily allocation of resources.The authors acknowledge the support received from the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the research project Modelling and Optimisation Techniques for a Sustainable Development, Ref. EC02008-05895-C02-01/ECON.Vicente López, FJD.; Crespo Abril, F. (2012). A new wildland fire danger index for a Mediterranean region and some validation aspects. 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International journal of geographical information systems, 10(3), 333-345. doi:10.1080/02693799608902082Chuvieco, E., Cocero, D., Riaño, D., Martin, P., Martı́nez-Vega, J., de la Riva, J., & Pérez, F. (2004). Combining NDVI and surface temperature for the estimation of live fuel moisture content in forest fire danger rating. Remote Sensing of Environment, 92(3), 322-331. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2004.01.019Chuvieco, E., Aguado, I., Yebra, M., Nieto, H., Salas, J., Martín, M. P., … Zamora, R. (2010). Development of a framework for fire risk assessment using remote sensing and geographic information system technologies. Ecological Modelling, 221(1), 46-58. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.11.017Danson, F. M., & Bowyer, P. (2004). Estimating live fuel moisture content from remotely sensed reflectance. Remote Sensing of Environment, 92(3), 309-321. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2004.03.017Dasgupta, S., Qu, J. J., & Hao, X. (2006). Design of a Susceptibility Index for Fire Risk Monitoring. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 3(1), 140-144. doi:10.1109/lgrs.2005.858484Fairbrother, A., & Turnley, J. G. (2005). Predicting risks of uncharacteristic wildfires: Application of the risk assessment process. Forest Ecology and Management, 211(1-2), 28-35. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2005.01.026Finney, M. A. (2005). The challenge of quantitative risk analysis for wildland fire. Forest Ecology and Management, 211(1-2), 97-108. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2005.02.010Gouma, V., & Chronopoulou-Sereli, A. (1998). Wildland Fire Danger Zoning - a Methodology. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 8(1), 37. doi:10.1071/wf9980037Hernandez-Leal, P. A., Arbelo, M., & Gonzalez-Calvo, A. (2006). Fire risk assessment using satellite data. Advances in Space Research, 37(4), 741-746. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2004.12.053Li, L.-M., Song, W.-G., Ma, J., & Satoh, K. (2009). Artificial neural network approach for modeling the impact of population density and weather parameters on forest fire risk. 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Wildland fire probabilities estimated from weather model-deduced monthly mean fire danger indices. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 17(3), 305. doi:10.1071/wf06162Romero-Calcerrada, R., Novillo, C. J., Millington, J. D. A., & Gomez-Jimenez, I. (2008). GIS analysis of spatial patterns of human-caused wildfire ignition risk in the SW of Madrid (Central Spain). Landscape Ecology, 23(3), 341-354. doi:10.1007/s10980-008-9190-2Saaty, T. L. (1987). RANK GENERATION, PRESERVATION, AND REVERSAL IN THE ANALYTIC HIERARCHY DECISION PROCESS. Decision Sciences, 18(2), 157-177. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5915.1987.tb01514.xSahin, Y. G., & Ince, T. (2009). Early Forest Fire Detection Using Radio-Acoustic Sounding System. Sensors, 9(3), 1485-1498. doi:10.3390/s90301485López, A. S., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., & Burgan, R. E. (2002). Integration of satellite sensor data, fuel type maps and meteorological observations for evaluation of forest fire risk at the pan-European scale. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 23(13), 2713-2719. doi:10.1080/01431160110107761Sharples, J. J., McRae, R. H. D., Weber, R. O., & Gill, A. M. (2009). A simple index for assessing fire danger rating. Environmental Modelling & Software, 24(6), 764-774. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2008.11.004Stocks, B. J., Lynham, T. J., Lawson, B. D., Alexander, M. E., Wagner, C. E. V., McAlpine, R. S., & Dubé, D. E. (1989). The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System: An Overview. The Forestry Chronicle, 65(6), 450-457. doi:10.5558/tfc65450-6Sturtevant, B. R., & Cleland, D. T. (2007). Human and biophysical factors influencing modern fire disturbance in northern Wisconsin. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 16(4), 398. doi:10.1071/wf06023Swets, J. (1988). Measuring the accuracy of diagnostic systems. Science, 240(4857), 1285-1293. doi:10.1126/science.3287615Vadrevu, K. P., Eaturu, A., & Badarinath, K. V. S. (2009). Fire risk evaluation using multicriteria analysis—a case study. 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Use of barley straw residues to avoid high erosion and runoff rates on persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain under low frequency-high magnitude simulated rainfall events

[EN] Soil and water losses due to agricultural mismanagement are high and non-sustainable in many orchards. An experiment was set up with rainfall simulation at 78 mm h(-1) over 1 hour on 20 paired plots of 2 m(2) (bare and straw covered) in new persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain. Effects of straw cover on the control of soil and water losses were assessed. An addition of 60% straw cover (75 gm(-2)) resulted in delayed ponding and runoff generation and consequently reduced water losses from 60% to 13% of total rainfall. The straw cover reduced raindrop impact and thus sediment detachment from 1014 to 47 g plot(-1) h(-1). The erosion rate was reduced from 5.1 to 0.2 Mg ha-(1) h(-1). The straw mulch was found to be extremely efficient in reducing soil erosion rates.The research projects GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857 and RECARE-FP7 (no. 603498, http://recare-project.eu/) supported this research.Cerdà, A.; González-Pelayo, Ó.; Giménez Morera, A.; Jordán, A.; Pereira, P.; Novara, A.; Brevik, EC.... (2016). Use of barley straw residues to avoid high erosion and runoff rates on persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain under low frequency-high magnitude simulated rainfall events. Soil Research. 54(2):154-165. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR15092S15416554

Anti-tumour necrosis factor discontinuation in inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission: study protocol of a prospective, multicentre, randomized clinical trial

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who achieve remission with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs may have treatment withdrawn due to safety concerns and cost considerations, but there is a lack of prospective, controlled data investigating this strategy. The primary study aim is to compare the rates of clinical remission at 1?year in patients who discontinue anti-TNF treatment versus those who continue treatment. Methods: This is an ongoing, prospective, double-blind, multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients with Crohn?s disease or ulcerative colitis who have achieved clinical remission for ?6?months with an anti-TNF treatment and an immunosuppressant. Patients are being randomized 1:1 to discontinue anti-TNF therapy or continue therapy. Randomization stratifies patients by the type of inflammatory bowel disease and drug (infliximab versus adalimumab) at study inclusion. The primary endpoint of the study is sustained clinical remission at 1?year. Other endpoints include endoscopic and radiological activity, patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, work productivity), safety and predictive factors for relapse. The required sample size is 194 patients. In addition to the main analysis (discontinuation versus continuation), subanalyses will include stratification by type of inflammatory bowel disease, phenotype and previous treatment. Biological samples will be obtained to identify factors predictive of relapse after treatment withdrawal. Results: Enrolment began in 2016, and the study is expected to end in 2020. Conclusions: This study will contribute prospective, controlled data on outcomes and predictors of relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease after withdrawal of anti-TNF agents following achievement of clinical remission. Clinical trial reference number: EudraCT 2015-001410-1