Effect of process parameters and operational mode on nitrous oxide emissions from a nitritation reactor treating reject wastewater

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane emissions were monitored in a continuous granular airlift nitritation reactor from ammonium-rich wastewater (reject wastewater). N₂O emissions were found to be dependent on dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the range of 1-4.5 mg O₂/L, increasing within this range when reducing the DO values. At higher DO concentrations, N₂O emissions remained constant at 2.2% of the N oxidized to nitrite, suggesting two different mechanisms behind N₂O production, one dependent and one independent of DO concentration. Changes on ammonium, nitrite, free ammonia and free nitrous acid concentrations did not have an effect on N₂O emissions within the concentration range tested. When operating the reactor in a sequencing batch mode under high DO concentration (>5 mg o₂/L), N₂O emissions increased one order of magnitude reaching values of 19.3+/-7.5% of the N oxidized. Moreover, CH₄ emissions detected were due to the stripping of the soluble CH4 that remained dissolved in the reject wastewater after anaerobic digestion. Finally, an economical and carbon footprint assessment of a theoretical scaled up of the pilot plant was conducted

Caracterización de la relación entre calidad y tamaño de la familia para el área urbana de bogotá D.C., en 2014

Articulo de investigació

MedivozCaptura. Una aplicación en red segura de ayuda al profesional de ORL

MedivozCaptura es una herramienta informática desarrollada para asistir al análisis y detección de patologías vocales. Se basa en el almacenamiento en una base de datos relacional de señales de voz, electroglotogramas (EGG) y vídeoendoscopias, además de otros datos sobre los pacientes que los especialistas puedan considerar relevantes. El presente documento describe el funcionamiento de la aplicación de forma distribuida en red, con la base de datos centralizada, así como la problemática de seguridad y rendimiento que supone la distribución a través de la red o Internet y cómo se solventa en MedivozCaptur

Nivel de actividad física en los pacientes con epoc

La Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica (EPOC) se caracteriza por la obstrucción crónica al flujo aéreo solo parcialmente reversible con la administración de broncodilatadores y que se debe a la combinación de patología de la vía aérea y a la destrucción del parénquima pulmonar reconociendo como factor causal fundamental el tabaquismo. La EPOC es una enfermedad crónica de progresión lenta cuyos síntomas capitales son la intolerancia al ejercicio y la disnea que lo acompaña pudiendo ésta presentarse, en etapas avanzadas de la enfermedad, incluso en reposo. La actividad física como acción no farmacológica es considera como una práctica que trae múltiples beneficios a los pacientes con EPOC ya que se ha visto el impacto positivo en la mejoría de la salud, puesto que evitar el sedentarismo se convierte en una opción complementaria al tratamiento farmacológico, que mejora la calidad de vida, la capacidad vital funcional y proporciona un mejor manejo de la enfermedad. (Asociacion Argentina de Medicina Respiratoria (AAMR), 2013). Existe un reconocimiento sobre la importancia de la actividad física para la salud de las personas y por ende se aborda de manera frecuente como tema de investigación en salud. La presente investigación se orientó a determinar el nivel de actividad física en pacientes con EPOC. La realización de este trabajo permitió determinar el nivel de actividad física en pacientes con EPOC. Entre los resultados se encontró que características sociodemográficas como: la edad, la clasificación diagnostica, la oxigeno dependencia, el sexo y la ocupación, son determinantes sobre la categorización del nivel de actividad física, ya que establecen patrones precisos propios en el efecto que tiene sobre la enfermedad y curso de la misma. Así mismo, la proporción de pacientes con nivel de actividad física, es directamente proporcional a su clasificación diagnostica: aquellos pacientes con clasificación EPOC leve, son quienes más alta actividad física realizan en las diversas dimensiones del estudio, por el contrario, aquellos que presentan una restricción respiratoria más alta y que se clasifican en EPOC muy severo, realizan baja actividad física, lo que deteriora su estado de salud y empeora el pronóstico de su enfermedad y el riesgo de mortalidadChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic obstruction only partially reversible airflow with the administration of bronchodilators and it is due to the combination of airway pathology and destruction of lung parenchyma recognized as fundamental causal factor smoking. COPD is a chronic, slowly progressive disease whose symptoms are capital exercise intolerance and dyspnea accompanying it may be in advanced stages of the disease, even at rest. Physical activity as pharmacological action is considered as a practice that brings multiple benefits to patients with COPD as it has seen the positive impact on health improvement since avoiding a sedentary lifestyle becomes a complementary option to drug treatment improved quality of life, functional vital capacity and provides better disease management. (Argentina Association of Respiratory Medicine (AAMR), 2013). There is recognition of the importance of physical activity for health of people and therefore frequently addressed the theme of health research. This research was aimed at determining the level of physical activity in patients with COPD. The completion of this work allowed us to determine the level of physical activity in patients with COPD. The results found that sociodemographic characteristics such as age, classification diagnosed, oxygen dependency, sex and occupation, are decisive on the categorization of the level of physical activity as they set themselves precise patterns on the effect it has on the and course of the disease itself. Likewise, the proportion of patients with physical activity level is directly proportional to its diagnostic classification: patients with mild COPD classification are those higher physical activity performed in the various dimensions of the study on the contrary those who have higher respiratory restriction and which are classified as very severe COPD low physical activity performed which deteriorates their health and worsens the prognosis of their disease and mortality risk.Enfermero (a)Pregrad

Patrimonio geologico y geodiversidad: bases para su definición en la zona andina de colombia caso santa fe de antioquia

RESUMENEl objetivo principal de esta investigación fue crear una metodología  para el inventario y la valoración del Patrimonio Geológico ajustada a la zona Andina de Colombia y aplicada en el noroccidente del país, puntualmente en el municipio de Santa Fe de Antioquia. La metodología está adaptada al estado actual del conocimiento del Patrimonio Geológico y la Geodiversidad en Colombia y se encuentra delimitada en esta investigación por la selección del área de estudio,  la definición de escala de trabajo, la revisión bibliográfica, la definición de parámetros de valoración, el desarrollo de Inventarios, la valoración, cartografía y utilización final del Patrimonio Geológico y la Geodiversidad. Además, para determinar la medida de valor intrínseco de los Puntos de interés Geológicos (PIG). Los valores van de uno a cinco según sea el caso, siendo cinco el mayor grado de importancia y valor,  y uno el menor. La investigación permitió clasificar y designar relevancia y categoría por medio del diagnóstico y valoración de cinco puntos; Cenizas volcánicas, Depósitos Recientes, Lateritas de Santa Fe de Antioquia, La quebrada La Túnala y Mirador de Las Crucetas,  lo que  dio como resultado cuatro puntos de cinco, con una puntuación superior o igual a tres. Este artículo permite resaltar el potencial natural, científico y turístico de Santa Fe de Antioquia y recomienda que se aplique la metodología a otros PIG dentro de los Andes Colombianos con el ánimo de promover una gestión ambiental y principios de desarrollo sostenible para el país

Nanocrystalline materials obtained by using a simple, rapid method for rechargeable lithium batteries

Abstract Nanocrystalline oxides with either spinel (s.g. Fd3m) or layered (s.g. R3m) structures suitable as cathodic materials for lithium cells were prepared by using a simple, rapid method based on the thermal decomposition of mixed nanocrystalline oxalates formed by grinding hydrated salts and oxalic acid. Their structural and textural properties were determined by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and N 2 adsorption measurements. Well-crystallized spinels of formulae viz. LiMn 2 O 4 and LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 with a thin sheet-like morphology and average particle size at ca. 30 nm were obtained by heating at temperatures as low as 400 • C for a short time. On the other hand, pure layered oxides (LiCoO 2 and LiNi 0.5 Co 0.5 O 2 ) required higher temperatures (800 • C), which resulted in greater particle sizes (average size ca. 100 nm). The electrochemical properties of these materials in lithium cells were studied from cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic measurements. Cells made from the spinels exhibited good rate performance and the delivered capacities changed little over the charge-discharge rate range from C/4 to 4C (C is defined as the theoretical capacity delivered in 1 h). By contrast, the capacity values for the cells made from the layered oxides are strongly affected by the charge-discharge rates. Their increased particle size may be the origin of the poorer cell performance observed

Spanish medical students’ attitudes and views towards Mental Health and Psychiatry: a multicentric cross-sectional study.

Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the attitudes towards mental illness and psychiatry among fifth year Spanish medical students. Methods The study included 171 students from three medical schools located in different areas of Spain: Cádiz; UCA (n= 113), Madrid; San Pablo-CEU (n=22), and Barcelona; UAB (n=36). They responded, prior to their undergraduate medical course in psychiatry, to the AMI questionnaire to measure the attitudes towards mental illness and to Balon’s adapted questionnaire to investigate their view towards psychiatry. Results The students (93.4 %) had a positive attitude towards mental illness (AMI). Attitudes towards psychiatry were fairly positive with a few negative views, specifically regarding the role of psychiatrists (items 11 and 13) and the prestige of the specialty (item 16). There were some statistically significant differences between the three medical schools in the perception of psychiatry as a medical discipline. A better attitude towards mental illness was associated with a better view of the overall merits of psychiatry. Conclusions Findings suggest that Spanish medical students do not have a negative attitude towards mental illness and they have a good perception of psychiatry, although there are still some misconceptions about this specialty. These student’s attitudes could favor an appropriate management of patients suffering from mental illness

Intraperitoneal pyrophosphate treatment reduces renal calcifications in Npt2a null mice

Mutations in the proximal tubular sodium-dependent phosphate co-transporters NPT2a and NPT2c have been reported in patients with renal stone disease and nephrocalcinosis, however the relative contribution of genotype, dietary calcium and phosphate, and modifiers of mineralization such as pyrophosphate (PPi) to the formation of renal mineral deposits is unclear. In the present study, we used Npt2a-/- mice to model the renal calcifications observed in these disorders. We observed elevated urinary excretion of PPi in Npt2a-/- mice when compared to WT mice. Presence of two hypomorphic Extracellular nucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 (Enpp1asj/asj) alleles decreased urine PPi and worsened renal calcifications in Npt2a-/- mice. These studies suggest that PPi is a thus far unrecognized factor protecting Npt2a-/- mice from the development of renal mineral deposits. Consistent with this conclusion, we next showed that renal calcifications in these mice can be reduced by intraperitoneal administration of sodium pyrophosphate. If confirmed in humans, urine PPi could therefore be of interest for developing new strategies to prevent the nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis seen in phosphaturic disorders

Retroperitoneal teratoma in children: Report of a case and review of the literature

ABSTRACT: Retroperitoneal teratomas constitute 3% of all pediatric tumors. However, no information is available in Colombia to support this frequency, and there is no consensus on the diagnosis, management and prognosis of this tumor. We report a case in a newborn girl in Bucaramanga, Colombia, diagnosed by means of imaginological studies and treated by surgery. We review the literature, considering general aspects, differential diagnosis, histological features and management, in order to guide physicians to consider this diagnostic possibility.RESUMEN: Los teratomas retroperitoneales constituyen el 3% del total de tumores en la población pediátrica. Sin embargo, en Colombia no existe un registro que soporte esta cifra, ni consenso sobre su diagnóstico, tratamiento y pronóstico. Se presenta un caso en una recién nacida en la ciudad de Bucaramanga, Colombia, diagnosticado por imágenes y tratado quirúrgicamente. Se revisa la literatura al respecto incluyendo los aspectos generales, el diagnóstico diferencial, las características histológicas y el tratamiento, con el fin de orientar al médico para que considere esta posibilidad diagnóstica