Experimental study and analysis of thermal comfort in a university campus building in tropical climate

This study presents the evaluation of the performance and acceptability of thermal comfort by students in the classrooms of a university building with minisplit-type air-conditioning systems, in a tropical climate. To carry out the study, temperature and humidity measurements were recorded, both outside and inside the selected classrooms, while the students were asked to complete thermal surveys on site. The survey model is based on the template proposed by Fanger and it was applied to a total number of 584 students. In each classroom, the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and the Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) were estimated according to Fanger’s methodology, as well as the Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) and the Actual Percentage Dissatisfied (APD), which were obtained from the measurements and the surveys. The results of this study showed that the PMV values, although they may vary with the insulation of the clothing, do not affect the TSV. Furthermore, comparing PMV vs. TSV scores, a 2 ◦C to 3 ◦C difference in operating temperature was found, whereby the thermal sensitivity for TSV was colder, so it could be assumed that the PMV model overestimates the thermal sensitivity of students in low-temperature conditions. In addition, an acceptability by 90% with thermal preferences between 23 ◦C and 24 ◦C were also found. These results indicate that it is possible to increase the temperature set point in minisplit-type air-conditioning system from 4 ◦C to 7 ◦C with respect to the currently set temperatures, without affecting the acceptability of the thermal environment to the students in the building

Prognostic significance of human pituitary tumor-transforming gene immunohistochemical expression in differentiated thyroid cancer

Context: Human securin pituitary tumor-transforming gene (hPTTG) is overexpressed in a variety of primary neoplasias, including differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the immunohistochemical expression of hPTTG in DTC and its association with known prognostic factors. Design: hPTTG expression was analyzed by immunostaining on paraffin-embedded tissues. Clinical data were used to determine any associations between the expression of hPTTG and prognostic variables of DTC. A median follow-up of 43 months allowed us to analyze the persistence of disease and the response to radioiodine therapy. Setting: The study was conducted at a tertiary university hospital. Patients: Ninety-five patients undergoing surgical resection for DTC (n = 60) or benign nodular thyroid disease (n = 35) were studied. Main Outcome Measure: The main outcome measure was the association between hPTTG expression and prognostic factors in DTC. Results: Among DTC cases, 21 (35%) had low and 39 (65%) had high hPTTG immunostaining. Adjacent nonneoplastic thyroid tissue was largely unstained. Among benign nodular thyroid disease cases, immunostaining was detected focally in eight (22.8%). A significant association was found between hPTTG expression and the presence of nodal (P < 0.01) or distant metastases (P < 0.05). A significant association with TNM was also found, because 83.3% of advanced TNM stages showed elevated hPTTG (P < 0.05). The association between hPTTG overexpression and decreased radioiodine uptake during follow-up was also significant (P < 0.05). The expression levels of hPTTG were confirmed as an independent prognostic factor for persistent disease (relative risk, 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-8.7; P < 0.05). Conclusions: Immunohistochemical analysis of hPTTG is of potential value in the determination of tumor aggressiveness in DTC.Peer Reviewe

Construir itinerarios : un aporte para estudiar la dinámica de los campos estatales

Como sostiene Bourdieu, las sociedades modernas se configuran en un proceso histórico de diferenciación de los diversos campos de actividad que construyen lógicas específicas que posibilitan su integración, organización y reproducción. Los campos poseen una dinámica interna que resulta de las luchas por la legitimidad y el poder hacia el interior de cada uno de ellos. Un campo es el juego de los movimientos en torno a determinados recursos sobre el terreno concreto de posibilidades actuales e históricas de construir ese recurso como forma de poder. Es el juego de la monopolización de lugares, de la competencia hacia el interior de los sectores dominantes y de la producción de la legitimidad en la relación con los sectores subalternos. Ahora bien, para dar cuenta de esas luchas por la apropiación del capital específico, de las formas en que se construye el poder al interior de los sectores dominantes (conocimiento fundamental para comprender la dinámica de los campos estatales) recurrimos a la noción de &quot;itinerario&quot;. Este concepto permite poner en evidencia, el ser social; dimensión que busca superar las historias individuales y dar cuenta de la historia colectiva. Esta propuesta se basa en la noción de itinerarios biográficos desarrollada por Susana García Salord (2000, 2001) y la aplica a la reconstrucción de procesos históricos, poniendo el foco en las trayectorias y redes sociales de los agentes que participan de las luchas por la apropiación del capital en juego. Este recurso metodológico hace posible observar, distinguir, en los procesos históricos las distintas facciones que se imponen por periodos, más allá de las categorías en las que la historiografía local las coloca. El objetivo de esta ponencia es compartir un conjunto de reflexiones teórico metodológicas sobre las formas de construir la evidencia empírica requerida para dar cuenta de la dinámica de los campos sociales y, en particular, los estatales en el marco de una línea de trabajo que denominamos sociohistórica.Fil: Henríquez, María G.. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Investigaciones Socieconómicas.Fil: Martínez, Juan S.I.. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Investigaciones Socieconómicas.Fil: Storni, Silvia Susana . Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Investigaciones Socieconómicas.Fil: Castilla, M. Josefina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Investigaciones Socieconómicas

La carga familiar en una muestra de pacientes esquizofrénicos en tratamiento ambulatorio.

La atención a los pacientes psicóticos crónicos en la comunidad ha supuesto una sobrecarga para las familias sin que en general los profesionales de la psiquiatría parezcan dar a este hecho la importancia que tiene. Las familias de los esquizofrénicos crónicos están sobrecargadas, tanto por el malestar subjetivo que les ocasiona la conducta del enfermo y la ausencia de un desempeño adecuado de sus papeles sociales, como por los problemas que los pacientes crean en la vida habitual de las mismas. Se hace preciso atender las necesidades de estas familias ante esa situación de estrés crónico

La carga familiar en una muestra de pacientes esquizofrénicos en tratamiento ambulatorio.

La atención a los pacientes psicóticos crónicos en la comunidad ha supuesto una sobrecarga para las familias sin que en general los profesionales de la psiquiatría parezcan dar a este hecho la importancia que tiene. Las familias de los esquizofrénicos crónicos están sobrecargadas, tanto por el malestar subjetivo que les ocasiona la conducta del enfermo y la ausencia de un desempeño adecuado de sus papeles sociales, como por los problemas que los pacientes crean en la vida habitual de las mismas. Se hace preciso atender las necesidades de estas familias ante esa situación de estrés crónico

Facial emotion recognition in Williams syndrome and Down syndrome: A matching and developmental study

In this study both the matching and developmental trajectories approaches were used to clarify questions that remain open in the literature on facial emotion recognition in Williams syndrome (WS) and Down syndrome (DS). The matching approach showed that individuals with WS or DS exhibit neither proficiency for the expression of happiness nor specific impairments for negative emotions. Instead, they present the same pattern of emotion recognition as typically developing (TD) individuals. Thus, the better performance on the recognition of positive compared to negative emotions usually reported in WS and DS is not specific of these populations but seems to represent a typical pattern. Prior studies based on the matching approach suggested that the development of facial emotion recognition is delayed in WS and atypical in DS. Nevertheless, and even though performance levels were lower in DS than in WS, the developmental trajectories approach used in this study evidenced that not only individuals with DS but also those with WS present atypical development in facial emotion recognition. Unlike in the TD participants, where developmental changes were observed along with age, in the WS and DS groups, the development of facial emotion recognition was static. Both individuals with WS and those with DS reached an early maximum developmental level due to cognitive constraints

Novel compound shows in vivo anthelmintic activity in gerbils and sheep infected by Haemonchus contortus

8 páginas, 2 figuras, 2 tablas.The control of gastrointestinal nematodes in livestock is becoming increasingly difficult due to the limited number of available drugs and the rapid development of anthelmintic resistance. Therefore, it is imperative to develop new anthelmintics that are effective against nematodes. Under this context, we tested the potential toxicity of three compounds in mice and their potential anthelmintic efficacy in Mongolian gerbils infected with Haemonchus contortus. The compounds were selected from previous in vitro experiments: two diamine (AAD-1 and AAD-2) and one benzimidazole (2aBZ) derivatives. 2aBZ was also selected to test its efficacy in sheep. In Mongolian gerbils, the benzimidazole reduced the percentage of pre-adults present in the stomach of gerbils by 95% at a dose of 200 mg/kg. In sheep, there was a 99% reduction in the number of eggs shed in faeces after 7 days at a dose of 120 mg/kg and a 95% reduction in the number of worm adults present in the abomasum. In conclusion, 2aBZ could be considered a promising candidate for the treatment of helminth infections in small ruminants. © 2022, The Author(s).Financial support came from MINECO: RETOS (AGL2016-79813-C2-1R/2R) and MICINN/AEI (PID2020- 119035RB-100). EVG was funded by FPU17/00627, FPU17/05346; VCGA, MAB, MCP and LGP are recipients of Junta de Castilla y León (JCyL) (LE082-18, LE051-18, LE135-19, LE096-20, respectively) and MMV by the Spanish “Ramon y Cajal” Programme (Ministerio de Economía y competitividad; MMV, RYC-2015-18368).Peer reviewe

Development of nanomechanical biosensors for the determination of cell mechanical properties

Póster presentado en el GEM4 Summer school, celebrado en Londres del 10 al 14 de septiembre de 2012.Peer Reviewe

Biomarker Profiling of Microbial Mats in the Geothermal Band of Cerro Caliente, Deception Island (Antarctica): Life at the Edge of Heat and Cold

© María Ángeles Lezcano et al. 2019.Substrate–atmosphere interfaces in Antarctic geothermal environments are hot–cold regions that constitute thin habitable niches for microorganisms with possible counterparts in ancient Mars. Cerro Caliente hill in Deception Island (active volcano in the South Shetland Islands) is affected by ascending hydrothermal fluids that form a band of warm substrates buffered by low air temperatures. We investigated the influence of temperature on the community structure and metabolism of three microbial mats collected along the geothermal band of Cerro Caliente registering 88°C, 8°C, and 2°C at the time of collection. High-throughput sequencing of small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid (SSU rRNA) genes and Life Detector Chip (LDChip) microarray immunoassays revealed different bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic composition in the three mats. The mat at 88°C showed the less diverse microbial community and a higher proportion of thermophiles (e.g., Thermales). In contrast, microbial communities in the mats at 2°C and 8°C showed relatively higher diversity and higher proportion of psychrophiles (e.g., Flavobacteriales). Despite this overall association, similar microbial structures at the phylum level (particularly the presence of Cyanobacteria) and certain hot- and cold-tolerant microorganisms were identified in the three mats. Daily thermal oscillations recorded in the substrate over the year (4.5–76°C) may explain the coexistence of microbial fingerprints with different thermal tolerances. Stable isotope composition also revealed metabolic differences among the microbial mats. Carbon isotopic ratios suggested the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle as the major pathway for carbon dioxide fixation in the mats at 2°C and 8°C, and the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle and/or the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle for the mat at 88°C, indicating different metabolisms as a function of the prevailing temperature of each mat. The comprehensive biomarker profile on the three microbial mats from Cerro Caliente contributes to unravel the diversity, composition, and metabolism in geothermal polar sites and highlights the relevance of geothermal-cold environments to create habitable niches with interest in other planetary environments.This study has been funded by the Spanish Research Agency (AEI) from the Ministry of Science Innovation and Universities and the European FEDER Grants Nos. ESP2015-69540-R, RYC2014-19446, and CGL2015-74254-JIN; the AEI Project No. MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia ‘‘Marı´a de Maeztu,’’ and the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC StG) No. 307496. M.A´ . Lezcano and M.A´ . Fernández Martínez were supported by a postdoctoral fellowship by the Youth Employment Initiative from the European Union and implanted in Comunidad de Madrid