Experiencia extensionista: “Viaje al mundo microscópico: Aportes de la microscopía del siglo XXI”

Objetivo: Generar un diálogo de saberes entre docentes y profesionales de diferentes niveles educativos de la provincia de Córdoba para contribuir a la mejora de la enseñanza de las Ciencias Naturales en el nivel primario. Métodos: Se planificó y desarrolló una capacitación semi-presencial titulada “Viaje al mundo microscópico: Aportes de la microscopía del siglo XXI”, en base a la demanda de los docentes de escuela primaria en relación a la temática de la microscopía. Se realizaron encuentros teórico-prácticos con utilización de microscopios y aparatología relacionada, complementados con actividades en un aula virtual diseñada a tal fin en la plataforma Moodle, con tutorías docentes e interacción en foros. Resultados: Esta intervención extensionista, de carácter interdisciplinario e integrado, tuvo un impacto muy positivo en los actores involucrados -profesores primarios y secundarios, formadores de futuros docentes y docentes universitarios- enriqueciendo el conocimiento de problemáticas educativas y estrategias para afrontarlas. Conclusiones: Se considera que los niños serán los principales beneficiarios de esta intervención extensionista, la cual ha contribuido a promover la equidad y la calidad educativa. Se destaca asimismo que a través de esta experiencia se generó una valiosa capacidad instalada -sostenible a través del tiempo- de recursos de estudio y actividades de aplicación virtuales, que permiten aprovechar el potencial pedagógico de las TIC

Analysis of the effects of primary heat transfer system isolation valves in case of in-vessel loss-of-coolant accidents in the EU DEMO

As DEMO is the first European device planned to produce electricity from fusion, the volume of its Primary Heat Transfer Systems (PHTS) will be consistently larger if compared to present or next-generation tokamaks such as ITER. The consequences of an in-vessel Loss-Of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) would then be more important, and within the EUROfusion Consortium different possible mitigation measures are being investigated. Among these, the introduction of Isolation Valves (IsoVs) on the main cooling loops of the Breeding Blanket is being considered, in view of the many benefits they would introduce, not only in case of accidents, but also e.g. during the maintenance of the in-vessel components. Fast-closing IsoVs on the PHTS would help in relaxing not only the requirements of the VV pressure suppression system (VVPSS) design, but also those related to the expansion volumes that shall accommodate the contaminated coolant discharged from the PHTS after a LOCA. In the present work, the GETTHEM code, the system-level thermal-hydraulic model developed for the EU DEMO at Politecnico di Torino, is used to assess the beneficial effects of the introduction of the IsoVs. The effects of the actuation time of the IsoVs and of their location are parametrically investigated, considering both water and helium as PHTS coolants, with particular reference to the reduction of the in-vessel space-averaged pressure and of the suppression system size

Evaluación preliminar de la aptitud simbiótica de cuatro materiales de alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

En la Facultad de Agronomía de la UNLPam se realizó una experiencia tendiente a evaluar la aptitud umbi6tica de los siguientes materiales de alfalfa: (1) Anguil INTA. (2) Intacic original, (3) Intacic seleccionada por su aptitud de fijación simbiótica y (4) MN Root (nitro 5887 Dames) seleccionada en la Universidad Minnesota por su aptitud de fijación simbiótica. Los materiales fueron cultivados en invernáculos, utilizando caños de PVC de 6.25 cm de diámetro y 50 cm de largo. En cada caño se cultivó una planta. A los 88 días de la siembra se realizó la extracción de las. plantas, determinándose: (a) altura de plantas, (b) número de hojas desplegadas, (e) nódulos en raíz principal, (d) nódulos en raíces secundarias, (e) peso seco sistema radical, (f) peso seco parte aérea, (g) biomasa total, (h) porcentaje de nitrógeno en el sistema radical, (i) porcentaje de nitr6geno en parte aérea. los materiales seleccionados (3) y (4) mostraron diferencias signi6cativas con respecto a los no seleccionados (1) y (2) en los siguientes parámetros: (a) altura de plantas, (d) nódulos en raíces secundarias, (e) peso seco sistema radical, (f) peso seco parte aérea, (g) biomasa total. Aunque no hubo diferencias significativas en el porcentaje de nitr6geno de los materiales evaluados, llevando los datos a cantidad de nitrógeno presente por planta, las diferencias fueron significativas, tanto en sistema radical como en parte aérea. La información lograda permite estimar que efectivamente, los materiales Intacic seleccionada y MN Root (nitro 5887 Bames) tienen mayor aptitud de fijación simbiótica. Intacic seleccionada se destaca sobre MN Root (nitro 5887 Bames) en n. mero de hojas desplegadas, peso seco parte aérea y cantidad de nódulos en raíces secundarias. Consideramos que Intacic seleccionada tiene posibilidades de ser introducida al cultivo, como un cultivar con buenas características agronómicas y una aptitud de fijación simbiótica que supera a los materiales bajo cultivo en Argentina, y posiblemente en algunos parámetros, también a los materiales extranjeros.Director: Ing. Agr. O. Hernández. Profesor Titular de Forrajicultura y Manejo de Pasturas

Assessment of ground deformation and seismicity in two areas of intense hydrocarbon production in the Argentinian Patagonia

The exploitation of both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons may lead to still not well-known environmental consequences such as ground deformation and induced/triggered seismicity. Identifying and characterizing these effects is fundamental for prevention or mitigation purposes, especially when they impact populated areas. Two case studies of such effects on hydrocarbon-producing basins in Argentina, the Neuquén and the Golfo de San Jorge, are presented in this work. The intense hydrocarbon production activities in recent years and their potential link with the occurrence of two earthquakes of magnitude 4.9 and 5 near the operating well fields is assessed. A joint analysis of satellite radar interferometry and records of fluid injection and extraction demonstrate that, between 2017 and 2020, vertical ground displacements occurred in both study areas over active well fields that might indicate a correlation to hydrocarbon production activities. Coseismic deformation models of the two earthquakes constrain source depths to less than 2 km. The absence of seismicity before the beginning of the hydrocarbon activities in both areas, and the occurrence of the two largest and shallow earthquakes in the vicinity of the active well fields just after intensive production periods, points towards the potential association between both phenomena.Fil: Tamburini Beliveau, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Cruz. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Grosso Heredia, Javier A.. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; ArgentinaFil: Béjar Pizarro, Marta. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España; EspañaFil: Pérez López, Raúl. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España; EspañaFil: Portela, Juan. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid; EspañaFil: Cismondi Duarte, Martín. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Monserrat, Oriol. Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya; Españ

A translational research experience in Argentina.

Background: The Argentinean programwas initiatedmore than a decade ago as the first experience of systematic translational research focused on NCL in Latin America. The aim was to overcome misdiagnoses and underdiagnoses in the region. Subjects: 216 NCL suspected individuals from 8 different countries and their direct family members. Methods: Clinical assessment, enzyme testing, electron microscopy, and DNA screening. Results and discussion: 1) The study confirmed NCL disease in 122 subjects. Phenotypic studies comprised epileptic seizures and movement disorders, ophthalmology, neurophysiology, image analysis, rating scales, enzyme testing, and electron microscopy, carried out under a consensus algorithm; 2) DNA screening and validation of mutations in genes PPT1 (CLN1), TPP1 (CLN2), CLN3, CLN5, CLN6, MFSD8 (CLN7), and CLN8: characterization of variant types, novel/knownmutations and polymorphisms; 3) Progress of the epidemiological picture in Latin America; and 4) NCL-like pathology studies in progress. The Translational Research Program was highly efficient in addressing the misdiagnosis/underdiagnosis in the NCL disorders. The study of “orphan diseases” in a public administrated hospital should be adopted by the health systems, as it positively impacts upon the family's quality of life, the collection of epidemiological data, and triggers research advances. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: “Current Research on the Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (Batten Disease)”publishedVersio

The effect of age and clinical circumstances on the outcome of red blood cell transfusion in critically ill patients

Introduction: Whether red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is beneficial remains controversial. In both retrospective and prospective evaluations, transfusion has been associated with adverse, neutral, or protective effects. These varying results likely stem from a complex interplay between transfusion, patient characteristics, and clinical context. The objective was to test whether age, comorbidities, and clinical context modulate the effect of transfusion on survival. Methods: By using the multiparameter intelligent monitoring in intensive care II database (v. 2.6), a retrospective analysis of 9,809 critically ill patients, we evaluated the effect of RBC transfusion on 30-day and 1-year mortality. Propensity score modeling and logistic regression adjusted for known confounding and assessed the independent effect of transfusion on 30-day and 1-year mortality. Sensitivity analysis was performed by using 3,164 transfused and non-transfused pairs, matched according the previously validated propensity model for RBC transfusion. Results: RBC transfusion did not affect 30-day or 1-year mortality in the overall cohort. Patients younger than 55 years had increased odds of mortality (OR, 1.71; P < 0.01) with transfusion. Patients older than 75 years had lower odds of 30-day and 1-year mortality (OR, 0.70; P < 0.01) with transfusion. Transfusion was associated with worse outcome among patients undergoing cardiac surgery (OR, 2.1; P < 0.01). The propensity-matched population corroborated findings identified by regression adjustment. Conclusion: A complex relation exists between RBC transfusion and clinical outcome. Our results show that transfusion is associated with improved outcomes in some cohorts and worse outcome in others, depending on comorbidities and patient characteristics. As such, future investigations and clinical decisions evaluating the value of transfusion should account for variations in baseline characteristics and clinical context. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-014-0487-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users