2,290 research outputs found

    Confiabilidad de puentes de concreto presforzado dañados por corrosión

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    Los puentes vehiculares con frecuencia sufren daños por corrosión, sobre todo, si están ubicados en la costa o si están expuestos a la humedad o impactos químicos. Por tanto, es conveniente contar con recomendaciones técnicas para evaluar su efecto en la seguridad estructural y proveer condiciones aceptables para la operación y el mantenimiento del puente. En este artículo se determina la variación del índice de confiabilidad de Cornell en función del tiempo en una viga en un puente vehicular simplemente apoyado, mediante el análisis del comportamiento en los cambios en los momentos de agrietamiento de las secciones transversales de una viga de concreto presforzado de sección cajón, obtenidos a partir de sus diagramas momento-curvatura. El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante simulación de Monte Carlo considerando como variables aleatorias la resistencia del concreto, el área transversal de acero de presfuerzo y la carga viva, y como variables deterministas las dimensiones de los elementos y la carga muerta. De los resultados obtenidos se observa que, a partir del inicio de la corrosión del acero de presfuerzo, en los primeros 4 años la variación en el índice de confiabilidad resultó poco significativa, mientras que en los años subsecuentes se presenta lo contrario disminuyendo a valores menores de 1.75 a partir de 6 años de iniciada la corrosión, lo cual no garantiza condiciones de operación aceptables para la estructura

    Tools for the implementation of a SCADA system in a desalination process

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    In this work a system is designed and implemented in SCADA MOVICON 11.5, in which the operation of five seawater desalination lines by reverse osmosis which work in parallel, with four coastal wells and two end-of-line pumps of the permeated water obtainedare integrated, synchronized and supervised as a single plant. Each desalination line has its own control system and can operate independently. As a product, synchronization algorithms were obtained that were added to the system through script codes, which guarantee continuous productivity in the desalination process, achieving synchronization between the mentioned sub-processes. Simultaneous operations of starting, washing and stopping that affected the performance of the osmosis lines are avoided. Alarmsare generated, reports are created, historical records and trends for the decision making on failures prediction, predictive maintenance and troubleshooting

    Electrical market models comparative study in Latinamerica

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    Electrical interconnections between Latin American countries are a reliable and secure source of energy supply that have had a comprehensive assessment, pointing to a new vision that considers taking the greatest advantage in electric markets in which transactions can be carried out and show a Joint and unified development. This has led to a globalization capable of establishing good relations between governments, bearing in mind that the energy issue is a central point for the development and quality of life of Latin American countries. This research article is presented as a technical consultation document, which allows to know the different structures of some electric sectors, and of the wholesale market of electrical energy of countries of Latin America. And it is the result of an investigation that allowed the accomplishment of a comparative analysis and as well the description of the fundamental aspects as: market model, of costs and tariffs and regulatory frameworks; In order to establish improvements that identify more viable options in those markets considered to be few efficient.Las interconexiones eléctricas entre países de América Latina son una fuente confiable y segura de suministro energético que han tenido una evaluación integral, apuntando a una nueva visión que considera tomar la mayor ventaja posible en los mercados eléctricos en los cuales las transacciones pueden realizarse y mostrar un desarrollo conjunto y unificado. Esto ha dado lugar a una globalización capaz de establecer buenas relaciones entre gobiernos, teniendo en cuenta que el tema energético es un punto central para el desarrollo y calidad de vida de los países de Latinoamérica. Este artículo de investigación se presenta a manera de documento técnico de consulta, el cual permite conocer las distintas estructuras de algunos sectores eléctricos, y del mercado mayorista de países de América Latina, el cual es el resultado de una investigación que permitió la realización de un análisis comparativo y a su vez la descripción de los aspectos fundamentales como: modelo de mercado, de costos y tarifas y marcos regulatorios; con el fin de establecer mejoras que identifiquen opciones más viables en aquellos mercados considerados pocos eficientes

    The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

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    The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected

    Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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    BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

    Guía de práctica clínica para el tratamiento farmacológico inicial de nefritis lúpica en el Seguro Social del Perú (EsSalud)

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    Background: This article summarizes the clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the initial pharmacological treatment of lupus nephritis in the Social Security of Peru (EsSalud). Objective: To provide evidence-based clinical recommendations for initial pharmacological treatment of non-refractory adults with class I to V lupus nephritis in EsSalud. Material and Methods: A guideline development group (GDG) was formed, which included specialist physicians and methodologists, who formulated clinical questions. Systematic searches were conducted for systematic reviews and - when deemed relevant - primary studies in PubMed during 2021. Evidence was selected to answer each of the clinical questions posed. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. In periodic working meetings, the GEG used the GRADE methodology to review the evidence and formulate recommendations. The CPG was reviewed by external experts before its approval. Results: The CPG addressed 6 clinical questions, divided into 2 topics: initial treatment of the induction and maintenance phase. Based on these questions, 11 recommendations were formulated (all conditional), 22 points of good clinical practice, and 2 flow charts. Conclusion: Evidence-based recommendations were issued for the management of patients with this pathology.Introducción: El presente artículo resume la guía de práctica clínica (GPC) para el tratamiento farmacológico inicial nefritis lúpica en el Seguro Social del Perú (EsSalud). Objetivo: Proveer recomendaciones clínicas basadas en evidencia para tratamiento farmacológico inicial de adultos con nefritis lúpica clase I a V no refractarios en EsSalud. Material y Métodos: Se conformó un grupo elaborador de la guía (GEG) que incluyó médicos especialistas y metodólogos, el cual formuló preguntas clínicas. Se realizaron búsquedas sistemáticas de revisiones sistemáticas y –cuando fue considerado pertinente– estudios primarios en PubMed durante el 2021. Se seleccionó la evidencia para responder cada una de las preguntas clínicas planteadas. Se evaluó la certeza de evidencia usando la metodología Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). En reuniones de trabajo periódicas, el GEG usó la metodología GRADE para revisar la evidencia y formular las recomendaciones. La GPC fue revisada por expertos externos antes de su aprobación. Resultados: La GPC abordó 6 preguntas clínicas, divididas en 2 temas: tratamiento inicial de la fase de inducción y mantenimiento. En base a dichas preguntas se formularon 11 recomendaciones (todas condicionales), 22 puntos de buena práctica clínica, y 2 flujogramas. Conclusión: Se emitieron recomendaciones basadas en evidencia para el manejo de pacientes con esta patología

    The 13th Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the SDSS-IV Survey Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory

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    The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) began observations in July 2014. It pursues three core programs: APOGEE-2,MaNGA, and eBOSS. In addition, eBOSS contains two major subprograms: TDSS and SPIDERS. This paper describes the first data release from SDSS-IV, Data Release 13 (DR13), which contains new data, reanalysis of existing data sets and, like all SDSS data releases, is inclusive of previously released data. DR13 makes publicly available 1390 spatially resolved integral field unit observations of nearby galaxies from MaNGA,the first data released from this survey. It includes new observations from eBOSS, completing SEQUELS. In addition to targeting galaxies and quasars, SEQUELS also targeted variability-selected objects from TDSS and X-ray selected objects from SPIDERS. DR13 includes new reductions ofthe SDSS-III BOSS data, improving the spectrophotometric calibration and redshift classification. DR13 releases new reductions of the APOGEE-1data from SDSS-III, with abundances of elements not previously included and improved stellar parameters for dwarf stars and cooler stars. For the SDSS imaging data, DR13 provides new, more robust and precise photometric calibrations. Several value-added catalogs are being released in tandem with DR13, in particular target catalogs relevant for eBOSS, TDSS, and SPIDERS, and an updated red-clump catalog for APOGEE.This paper describes the location and format of the data now publicly available, as well as providing references to the important technical papers that describe the targeting, observing, and data reduction. The SDSS website, http://www.sdss.org, provides links to the data, tutorials and examples of data access, and extensive documentation of the reduction and analysis procedures. DR13 is the first of a scheduled set that will contain new data and analyses from the planned ~6-year operations of SDSS-IV.PostprintPeer reviewe

    The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the Second Phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

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    The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since 2014 July. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the 14th from SDSS overall (making this Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes the data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (2014–2016 July) public. Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey; the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data-driven machine-learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from the SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS web site (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020 and will be followed by SDSS-V

    Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

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    BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

    Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

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    Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline
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