PROBABILISTIC ASSESSMENT OF THE SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF STEEL BUILDINGS DESIGNED ACCORDING TO THE LRFD SPECIFICATION

Seismic regulations and building codes experienced major advances in the last decades. Nevertheless, current trends in earthquake engineering are the assessment of the computational procedures provided by such design rules, by using probabilistic techniques, in order to test the anticipated levels of reliability and performance of the structures. While some consideration is given in codes to the uncertainties associated to the seismic action, no probabilistic requirements are posed on the responses, which determine the final design. Consequently, the risk associated to the design formulas remains unknown. The objective of this chapter is to study whether steel buildings designed and constructed according to the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) specification for Structural Steel Buildings, reasonably meet the probabilistic requirements on structural member safety applying non-linear dynamic analyses and Monte-Carlo techniques. Starting from a specific low-rise braced frame steel building existing in Manizales, Colombia, we also analyze mid-rise and high-rise braced frame buildings. Similar low- mid- and high-rise Moment-resisting frame buildings are also studied. For each building we performed more than ten thousand dynamic simulations, covering a wide range of combinations of demand and strength. In this way, we determine the exceedance probability of the construction capacity and we verify the safety and reliability of the structural members of the buildings. In the analysis of demand, we consider the probabilistic variation of the vertical gravity loads as well as of the seismic horizontal ones. The analyses of the strength of the studied buildings take into account the uncertainties and probability distributions of several parameters as: the yielding strain, the elasticity modulus, the cross-sectional area and their inertia moments. The analysis shows that in the cases here analyzed, but especially in moment-resisting frame buildings, the uncertainties in the input parameters may lead to significant failure probabilities. We conclude that braced frame steel buildings fulfil the seismic safety requirements while moment-resisting frame buildings would require a safety factor of about 2.7 for the column anchorages to the foundations

Productive Partnerships: An effective instrument for the inclusion of vulnerable population groups in diverse contexts of Colombia

In Colombia, rural development requires institutional frameworks that help to reduce the current rural-urban divide. Policy instruments that promote productivity improvements, inclusion, and collective action focused on strengthening rural competitiveness are crucial. Twelve years of experience gained from the implementation of the Rural Productive Partnerships Project (PAAP), run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) with support from the World Bank, provides useful lessons in this regard. The importance of these lessons learned is highlighted by the results of a recent study of the Linking Farmers to Markets team of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), funded by the Ford Foundation. This study not only provides an overview of the positive innovative aspects of PAAP, but also proposes necessary adjustments to increase its impact

Evaluación de competencias matemáticas

En esta comunicación presentamos un conjunto de actividades desarrolladas en la clase inicial del curso de Matemática de las carreras de Ingeniería Agronómica e Ingeniería Forestal de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Se le propone, a los alumnos, la resolución de una serie de ejercicios y problemas a la par que contestan una encuesta. Además de servir como clase inaugural, el propósito general es determinar las competencias matemáticas, entendidas estas como conjunto de capacidades, que tienen los alumnos. La información de la encuesta muestra un panorama sobre la posibilidad de reproducir, conectar y utilizar en un contexto dado, el conocimiento que tienen los alumnos al comienzo del curso.Trabajo publicado en Fernández Di Matteo, Gabriela (comp.). Libro de Actas. XIII DoMEFA Reunión Nacional de Docentes de Matemática en Carreras de Agronomía, Forestal y Afines de la República Argentina. Fundación Ciencias Agrarias: Zavalla, 2017.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Evaluación de competencias matemáticas

En esta comunicación presentamos un conjunto de actividades desarrolladas en la clase inicial del curso de Matemática de las carreras de Ingeniería Agronómica e Ingeniería Forestal de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Se le propone, a los alumnos, la resolución de una serie de ejercicios y problemas a la par que contestan una encuesta. Además de servir como clase inaugural, el propósito general es determinar las competencias matemáticas, entendidas estas como conjunto de capacidades, que tienen los alumnos. La información de la encuesta muestra un panorama sobre la posibilidad de reproducir, conectar y utilizar en un contexto dado, el conocimiento que tienen los alumnos al comienzo del curso.Trabajo publicado en Fernández Di Matteo, Gabriela (comp.). Libro de Actas. XIII DoMEFA Reunión Nacional de Docentes de Matemática en Carreras de Agronomía, Forestal y Afines de la República Argentina. Fundación Ciencias Agrarias: Zavalla, 2017.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Evaluación de competencias matemáticas

En esta comunicación presentamos un conjunto de actividades desarrolladas en la clase inicial del curso de Matemática de las carreras de Ingeniería Agronómica e Ingeniería Forestal de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Se le propone, a los alumnos, la resolución de una serie de ejercicios y problemas a la par que contestan una encuesta. Además de servir como clase inaugural, el propósito general es determinar las competencias matemáticas, entendidas estas como conjunto de capacidades, que tienen los alumnos. La información de la encuesta muestra un panorama sobre la posibilidad de reproducir, conectar y utilizar en un contexto dado, el conocimiento que tienen los alumnos al comienzo del curso.Trabajo publicado en Fernández Di Matteo, Gabriela (comp.). Libro de Actas. XIII DoMEFA Reunión Nacional de Docentes de Matemática en Carreras de Agronomía, Forestal y Afines de la República Argentina. Fundación Ciencias Agrarias: Zavalla, 2017.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

The Diachronic Spanish Sonnet Corpus (DISCO): TEI and Linked Open Data Encoding, Data Distribution and Metrical Findings

We present a corpus covering 4094 sonnets in Spanish by 1204 authors, from the 15th to the 19th centuries, extracted from HTML sources. The corpus was encoded in TEI. Author metadata not available in a standardized format in the sources were systematically retrieved or inferred from the sources and added to the corpus, e.g. author gender or VIAF IDs. RDFa was used to render TEI semantics in the Linked Open Data paradigm. Scansion was annotated automatically with the ADSO Scansion System. Enjambment was annotated automatically with our enjambment detection tool (ANJA). Stanza types were also annotated. The corpus covers both canonical and non-canonical authors, from Europe and Latin America. The range of authors and periods, the use of both TEI and RDFa for interoperability, and the combination of metrical and enjambment annotations goes beyond previously available digital resources for the study of poetry in Spanish. This corpus is a contribution within an area where digital resources are scarce. We also present some literary analysis results that illustrate the type of research questions that can be answered with the corpus

Peripheral Inflammatory Parameters in Late-Life Depression: A Systematic Review

Depressive disorders appear relatively frequently in older patients, and therefore represent an important disease burden worldwide. Given the high levels of inflammatory parameters found in depressed elderly patients, the "inflammaging" hypothesis is gaining strength. In this systematic review, we summarize current evidence regarding the relationship between inflammatory parameters and late-life depression, with a unique focus on longitudinal studies to guarantee temporality. According to the data summarized in this review, the levels of some proinflammatory parameters-especially interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-could serve as biomarkers for the future development of depressive symptoms in elderly patients. Proinflammatory cytokines seem to be associated with the future development of clinically significant depression, irrespective of baseline scores, thus indicating that inflammation temporally precedes and increases depression risk. As insufficient research has been conducted in this field, further prospective studies are clearly warranted.This study was funded by grants from Research Network Center of Mental Health-CIBERSAM (2010-P-02); the Government of Spain “Health Research Fund” FEDER (PI08-1213, PI11-01977, PI14-01900, PI08-0873; PI10-01746; PS09/02002; PI12/02077; PI15-00789; PI13/00451); Ministry of Health and Social Equality (20111064) Policy; Local funding from the Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture of the Basque Government (200911147, 2013111162, 2010111170, SAIO10-PC10BF01); European Comission funds (UE/2012/FI-STAR). We appreciate the support of the University of the Basque Country (GIC10/80, GIC12/84) and the Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research-BIOEF. The Psychiatry Research Unit of the University Hospital of Álava-Santiago is supported by the “Stanley Research Foundation” (03-RC-003). John O’Brien is supported by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre awarded to the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Trust

Relationship between Serum Concentration of Uric Acid and Insulin Secretion among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

To determine the relationship between serum concentrations of uric acid and insulin secretion with hyperglycaemic clamp technique among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) without hyperuricemia, we carried out a cross-sectional study on 45 patients of both gender. We observed correlation between uric acid with male gender r = 0.710 (P = 0.001). Also correlation between uric acid and total insulin secretion was positive r = 0.295 (P = 0.049). As well as a positive correlation adjusted for body mass index was demonstrated for the first, second, and total phases of insulin secretion, respectively, r = 0.438 (P = 0.022), r = 0.433 (P = 0.022), and r = 0.439 (P = 0.024). Serum concentration of uric acid showed a positive relationship with the total phase of insulin secretion; even in states prior to hyperuricemia, uric acid can play an important role in the function of the beta cell in patients with DM2

The effects of exogenous fatty acids and niacin on human monocyte-macrophage plasticity

Scope: Macrophage plasticity allows adapting to different environments, having a dual activity in inflammatory-related diseases. Our hypothesis is that the type of dietary fatty acids into human postprandial triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs), alone or in combination with niacin (vitamin B3), could modulate the plasticity of monocytes-macrophages. Methods and results: We isolated TRLs at the postprandial peak from blood samples of healthy volunteers after the ingestion of a meal rich in saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) or MUFAs plus omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). Autologous monocytes isolated at fasting were first induced to differentiate into naïve macrophages. We observed that postprandial TRL-MUFAs, particularly in combination with niacin, enhance competence to monocytes to differentiate and polarise into M2 macrophages. Postprandial TRL-SFAs made polarised macrophages prone to an M1 phenotype. In contrast to dietary SFAs, dietary MUFAs in the meals plus immediate-release niacin primed circulating monocytes for a reduced postprandial pro-inflammatory profile. Conclusion: Our study underlines a role of postprandial TRLs as a metabolic entity in regulating the plasticity of the monocyte-macrophage lineage and also brings an understanding of the mechanisms by which dietary fatty acids are environmental factors fostering the innate immune responsiveness in humans.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación AGL2011- 2900

Hiperplasia suprarrenal no clásica, características de laboratorio y respuesta al tratamiento. Estudio de cohorte

Objetivo: comparar las características de laboratorio y la respuesta al tratamiento en una cohorte de pacientes con hiperplasia suprarrenal congénita no clásica seguidas durante 12 meses. Métodos: se realizó un estudio en una cohorte final de 38 pacientes con hiperplasia suprarrenal no clásica evaluadas entre enero de 2006 hasta diciembre de 2016 y que tuvieron seguimiento a 1 año. Las características de la población de estudio y la respuesta de 17-hidroxiprogesterona (17-OH progesterona), testosterona y dehidroepiandrosterona sulfato (DHEA-S) se informan a los 6 y 12 meses después del tratamiento con dexametasona y etinilestradiol/acetato de ciproterona. Se realizó una regresión lineal múltiple para explicar el cambio de las variables de resultado (17- OH progesterona, testosterona y DHEA-S), ajustado de acuerdo con el índice de masa corporal (IMC) y la edad como covariables. Resultados: la edad promedio de los participantes fue de 25 años, el IMC promedio fue de 28,3 kg/m2. Las características clínicas más prevalentes fueron el acné (52,6 %) y la oligomenorrea (55 %). El hirsutismo se presentó en todos los casos en algún grado (moderado: 31,6 % y grave: 39,5 %, según la escala de Ferriman y Gallwey). El cambio en los niveles de cada una de las hormonas evidenció una disminución significativa de la mediana del rango intercuartílico de 17-OH progesterona, testosterona y DHEA-S, a los 6 y 12 meses (p < 0,05). En la regresión lineal múltiple, los niveles de testosterona presentaron una variación de acuerdo con el IMC (p = 0,04). En el presente estudio, la terapia farmacológica con dexametasona se aplicó a diferentes dosis y todas las pacientes recibieron anticonceptivos con una respuesta clínica y paraclínica adecuada al año de seguimiento. Conclusión: este estudio sugiere que la combinación de etinilestradiol más acetato de ciproterona con dosis variables de dexametasona disminuye el perfil androgénico en las pacientes con hiperplasia suprarrenal no clásica seguidas durante un año