Unravelling the impact of courtyard geometry on cooling energy consumption in buildings

At present, the energy used for air conditioning in buildings in urban areas accounts for over 36% of total global energy consumption. Energy efficiency has become a critical factor in the urban planning of cities worldwide. Courtyard buildings in hot cities are a prime example of the approach used in traditional vernacular architecture to mitigate the effects of extreme weather. However, given the challenge of guaranteeing accurate modelling of microclimates within these courtyards, their impact on energy demand in buildings has been routinely over-looked by energy certification tools. This work examines three empirical case studies selected in Seville city (Spain), where temperatures during the summer months are extreme. The case studies selected display distinct geometric variations, and the primary objective of the research is to assess the influence of this geometric factor on the cooling energy demand of the building indoors. To achieve this, a validated methodology combining experimental and numerical data was implemented to evaluate the energy performance of buildings with courtyards. Different simulations were conducted to detect the impact of individual courtyard features. The results show a reduction in cooling demand of 8-18% depending on the geometry of the courtyard. Analysis was also carried out on the influence of the floor level and the orientation of adjacent rooms, revealing differences of 15% and 22%, respectively. The main conclusion of the research is that the use of courtyards as functional devices, paying particular attention to their geometry, is a key factor in the cooling energy demand of buildings.13 página

Towards Ratiometric Sensing of Amyloid Fibrils In Vitro

This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Chemistry - A European Journal 2015, 21, 3425–3434, DOI: 10.1002/chem.201406110. The final form has been published at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/chem.201406110. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsThe aggregation of amyloid‐β peptide and its accumulation in the human brain has an important role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Thioflavin T has been widely used as a fluorescent marker for these amyloid aggregates. Nevertheless, its complex photophysical behavior, with strong wavelength dependencies of all its fluorescence properties, requires searching for new fluorescent probes. The use of 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine (HPIP), which shows two emission bands and a rich excited‐state behavior due to the existence of excited‐state intramolecular processes of proton transfer and charge transfer, is proposed. These properties result in a high sensitivity of HPIP fluorescence to its microenvironment and cause a large differential fluorescence enhancement of the two bands upon binding to aggregates of the amyloid‐β peptide. Based on this behavior, a very sensitive ratiometric method is established for the detection and quantification of amyloid fibrils, which can be combined with the monitoring of fluorescence anisotropy. The binding selectivity of HPIP is discussed on the basis of the apparent binding equilibrium constants of this probe to amyloid‐β (1–42) fibrils and to the nonfibrillar protein bovine serum albumin. Finally, an exhaustive comparison between HPIP and thioflavin T is presented to discuss the sensitivity and specificity of these probes to amyloid aggregates and the significant advantages of the HPIP dye for quantitative determinationsXunta de Galicia European Regional Development Fund Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Xunta de Galicia. Grant Numbers: CTQ2010‐21369, CTQ2010‐17835, GPC2013/052, R2014/051 RS MacDonald Charitable TrustS

Process evaluation of a complex workplace intervention to prevent musculoskeletal pain in nursing staff: results from INTEVAL_Spain.

Background INTEVAL_Spain was a complex workplace intervention to prevent and manage musculoskeletal pain among nursing staff. Process evaluations can be especially useful for complex and multifaceted interventions through identifying the success or failure factors of an intervention to improve the intervention implementation. Objectives This study performed a process evaluation of INTEVAL_Spain and aimed to examine whether the intervention was conducted according to the protocol, to investigate the fulfilment of expectations and the satisfaction of workers. Methods The intervention was a two-armed cluster randomized controlled trial and lasted 1 year. The process evaluation included quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods were used to address the indicators of Steckler and Linnan's framework. Data on recruitment was collected through a baseline questionnaire for the intervention and the control group. Reach and dose received were collected through participation sheets, dose delivered and fidelity through internal registries, and fulfilment of expectations and satisfaction were collected with two questions at 12-months follow-up. Qualitative methods were used for a content analysis of discussion groups at the end of the intervention led by an external moderator to explore satisfaction and recommendations. The general communication and activities were discussed, and final recommendations were agreed on. Data were synthesized and results were reported thematically. Results The study was performed in two Spanish hospitals during 2016-2017 and 257 workers participated. Recruitment was 62 and 51% for the intervention and the control group, respectively. The reach of the activities ranged from 96% for participatory ergonomics to 5% for healthy diet. The number of sessions offered ranged from 60 sessions for Nordic walking to one session for healthy diet. Fidelity of workers ranged from 100% for healthy diet and 79% for participatory ergonomics, to 42 and 39% for Nordic walking and case management, respectively. Lowest fidelity of providers was 75% for case management and 82% for Nordic walking. Fulfilment of expectations and satisfaction ranged from 6.6/10 and 7.6/10, respectively, for case management to 10/10 together for the healthy diet session. Discussion groups revealed several limitations for most of the activities, mainly focused on a lack of communication between the Champion (coordinator) and the workers. Conclusions This process evaluation showed that the implementation of INTEVAL_Spain was predominantly carried out as intended. Process indicators differed depending on the activity. Several recommendations to improve the intervention implementation process are proposed

Building and surroundings: thermal coupling

Energy building performance can be different according to outdoor conditions or urban environment, at the same time that this last assess, buildings are also affected by the building envelope, as obvious consequence of the thermal and Aeraulic coupling existing between the indoor and outdoor conditions in buildings. Thus, in this coupling is fundamental to typify the transmission phenomenon through the building envelope. Doing this, it is possible to estimate transmission heating losses and gains and also the superficial temperatures of the envelope. In order to assess the transient behaviour of the building envelope it is necessary to develop a predictive model, precise enough, to be integrated in a simulating tool. Detailed and multidimensional models, based in numerical methods, like Finite Element Method (FEM), has a high precision, but its complexity imply resources consumption and computational time, too high to be integrated in these kind of tools. On the contrary, simplified methods are good enough because they are simple and fast, with an acceptable precision in almost all the situations. The present work is focused: (a) Firstly, to develop a simplified RC-network model. The aim of the model is to characterize and to implement with precision the behaviour of a wall in a simulating software tool based on urban environment, (b) secondly, to express in form of equivalences, the different indoor and outdoor excitations that can exist in the building envelope, and (c) finally, to calibrate the simplified model through its characteristic parameters. For a homogeneous wall and two types of excitations, it has been obtained the characteristic parameters of the model that represent the better adjustment to the real wall. In a first step, it has been obtained the results of the proposal model and a reference model based on FEM, in terms of wall external surface heat flow. Results of both models have been compared, and the resultant characteristic parameters of the model have been obtained through an optimisation method. Results for the wall and for the excitations under analysis show: (1) Characteristic longitude ec, or capacitive node position, it is determined according to a certain value of Fo equal to 2 for both excitations, this value remains constant in time, (2) useful wall thickness, on the contrary, vary as time function, according to a logarithmic law for both excitations, although this function is different depending on the considered excitation, (3) using a constant excitation, coefficients from the previous logarithmic function depends on the range of the excitation, while these are practically independent of the lineal excitation gradient

The immunogenetic diversity of the HLA system in Mexico correlates with underlying population genetic structure

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) allele groups and alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in a total of 15,318 mixed ancestry Mexicans from all the states of the country divided into 78 sample sets, providing information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies and their linkage disequilibrium, as well as admixture estimates and genetic substructure. We identified the presence of 4268 unique HLA extended haplotypes across Mexico and find that the ten most frequent (HF > 1%) HLA haplotypes with significant linkage disequilibrium (Δ’≥0.1) in Mexico (accounting for 20% of the haplotypic diversity of the country) are of primarily Native American ancestry (A*02~B*39~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02, A*02~B*35~DRB1*08~DQB1*04, A*68~B*39~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02, A*02~B*35~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02, A*24~B*39~DRB1*14~DQB1*03:01, A*24~B*35~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02, A*24~B*39~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02, A*02~B*40:02~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02, A*68~B*35~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02, A*02~B*15:01~DRB1*04~DQB1*03:02). Admixture estimates obtained by a maximum likelihood method using HLA-A/-B/-DRB1 as genetic estimators revealed that the main genetic components in Mexico as a whole are Native American (ranging from 37.8% in the northern part of the country to 81.5% in the southeastern region) and European (ranging from 11.5% in the southeast to 62.6% in northern Mexico). African admixture ranged from 0.0 to 12.7% not following any specific pattern. We were able to detect three major immunogenetic clusters correlating with genetic diversity and differential admixture within Mexico: North, Central and Southeast, which is in accordance with previous reports using genome-wide data. Our findings provide insights into the population immunogenetic substructure of the whole country and add to the knowledge of mixed ancestry Latin American population genetics, important for disease association studies, detection of demographic signatures on population variation and improved allocation of public health resources.Fil: Barquera, Rodrigo. Max Planck Institute For The Science Of Human History; Alemania. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Hernández Zaragoza, Diana Iraíz. Técnicas Genéticas Aplicadas A la Clínica (tgac); México. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Bravo Acevedo, Alicia. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Arrieta Bolaños, Esteban. Universitat Essen; AlemaniaFil: Clayton, Stephen. Max Planck Institute For The Science Of Human History; AlemaniaFil: Acuña Alonzo, Víctor. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia, Mexico; MéxicoFil: Martínez Álvarez, Julio César. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: López Gil, Concepción. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Adalid Sáinz, Carmen. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Vega Martínez, María del Rosario. Hospital Central Sur de Alta Especialidad; MéxicoFil: Escobedo Ruíz, Araceli. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Juárez Cortés, Eva Dolores. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Immel, Alexander. Max Planck Institute For The Science Of Human History; Alemania. Christian Albrechts Universitat Zu Kiel; AlemaniaFil: Pacheco Ubaldo, Hanna. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: González Medina, Liliana. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Lona Sánchez, Abraham. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Lara Riegos, Julio. Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán; MéxicoFil: Sánchez Fernández, María Guadalupe de Jesús. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Díaz López, Rosario. Hospital Central Militar, Mexico City; MéxicoFil: Guizar López, Gregorio Ulises. Hospital Central Militar, Mexico City; MéxicoFil: Medina Escobedo, Carolina Elizabeth. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Arrazola García, María Araceli. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Montiel Hernández, Gustavo Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Hernández Hernández, Ofelia. Técnicas Genéticas Aplicadas a la Clínica ; MéxicoFil: Ramos de la Cruz, Flor del Rocío. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Juárez Nicolás, Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Pediatría; MéxicoFil: Pantoja Torres, Jorge Arturo. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Rodríguez Munguía, Tirzo Jesús. Hospital General Norberto Treviño Zapata; MéxicoFil: Juárez Barreto, Vicencio. Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez; MéxicoFil: Gonzalez-Jose, Rolando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; Argentin

La industria cinematográfica en España: análisis estructural

Esta publicación analiza el estado actual de la industria cinematográfica en España siguiendo la segmentación clásica de los tres sectores que la conforman; producción de cine, distribución y comercialización del producto cinematográfico y, de forma más precisa, la exhibición cinematográfica. Estos sectores cuentan con las suficientes señas de identidad para poder ser reconocido, reivindicado y analizado. Estos textos suponen la iniciación en la investigación de estudiantes que combinan su formación académica e investigadora con su formación como profesionales en el área de la Comunicación Audiovisual de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Comunicación de la Universidad de Málaga. “El sector de la producción de cine en España” atiende a las particularidades del sector de la producción cinematográfica española. “El oligopolio de las majors en la distribución de cine en España” analiza el sector de la distribución de cine en España para confirmar la conocida concentración de la recaudación en pocas distribuidoras. “Nuevos paradigmas de marketing cinematográfico. Avengers: Endgame” hace un estudio de caso de la campaña de marketing en torno al filme que cierra la saga de los superhéroes Los Vengadores, de Marvel y Disney. Estructura de la exhibición cinematográfica en Andalucía” atiende al sector de la exhibición cinematográfica en Andalucía para destacar su configuración como oligopolio. “La evolución de los cines y sus salas en la ciudad de Málaga” analiza las transformaciones del sector en la capital malagueña. Por último, “Los productos audiovisuales en el sector de la exhibición de Málaga” hace confluir las líneas de los capítulos anteriores para registrar y clasificar el conjunto de la oferta de la cartelera malagueña durante el mes de mayo de 2019. https://www.eumed.net/libros/1843/index.htm

Evaluation of factors leading to poor outcomes for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Mexico: a multi-institutional report of 2,116 patients

Background and aimsPediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survival rates in low- and middle-income countries are lower due to deficiencies in multilevel factors, including access to timely diagnosis, risk-stratified therapy, and comprehensive supportive care. This retrospective study aimed to analyze outcomes for pediatric ALL at 16 centers in Mexico.MethodsPatients <18 years of age with newly diagnosed B- and T-cell ALL treated between January 2011 and December 2019 were included. Clinical and biological characteristics and their association with outcomes were examined.ResultsOverall, 2,116 patients with a median age of 6.3 years were included. B-cell immunophenotype was identified in 1,889 (89.3%) patients. The median white blood cells at diagnosis were 11.2.5 × 103/mm3. CNS-1 status was reported in 1,810 (85.5%), CNS-2 in 67 (3.2%), and CNS-3 in 61 (2.9%). A total of 1,488 patients (70.4%) were classified as high-risk at diagnosis. However, in 52.5% (991/1,889) of patients with B-cell ALL, the reported risk group did not match the calculated risk group allocation based on National Cancer Institute (NCI) criteria. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and PCR tests were performed for 407 (19.2%) and 736 (34.8%) patients, respectively. Minimal residual disease (MRD) during induction was performed in 1,158 patients (54.7%). The median follow-up was 3.7 years. During induction, 191 patients died (9.1%), and 45 patients (2.1%) experienced induction failure. A total of 365 deaths (17.3%) occurred, including 174 deaths after remission. Six percent (176) of patients abandoned treatment. The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 58.9% ± 1.7% for B-cell ALL and 47.4% ± 5.9% for T-cell ALL, while the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 67.5% ± 1.6% for B-cell ALL and 54.3% ± 0.6% for T-cell ALL. The 5-year cumulative incidence of central nervous system (CNS) relapse was 5.5% ± 0.6%. For the whole cohort, significantly higher outcomes were seen for patients aged 1–10 years, with DNA index >0.9, with hyperdiploid ALL, and without substantial treatment modifications. In multivariable analyses, age and Day 15 MRD continued to have a significant effect on EFS.ConclusionOutcomes in this multi-institutional cohort describe poor outcomes, influenced by incomplete and inconsistent risk stratification, early toxic death, high on-treatment mortality, and high CNS relapse rate. Adopting comprehensive risk-stratification strategies, evidence-informed de-intensification for favorable-risk patients and optimized supportive care could improve outcomes

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal burden of disease and injury. These studies have also shown how a substantial portion of the world's population experiences non-fatal health loss with considerable heterogeneity among different causes, locations, ages, and sexes. Ongoing objectives of the GBD study include increasing the level of estimation detail, improving analytical strategies, and increasing the amount of high-quality data. Methods: We estimated incidence and prevalence for 354 diseases and injuries and 3484 sequelae. We used an updated and extensive body of literature studies, survey data, surveillance data, inpatient admission records, outpatient visit records, and health insurance claims, and additionally used results from cause of death models to inform estimates using a total of 68 781 data sources. Newly available clinical data from India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, China, Brazil, Norway, and Italy were incorporated, as well as updated claims data from the USA and new claims data from Taiwan (province of China) and Singapore. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between rates of incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death for each condition. YLDs were estimated as the product of a prevalence estimate and a disability weight for health states of each mutually exclusive sequela, adjusted for comorbidity. We updated the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary development indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Additionally, we calculated differences between male and female YLDs to identify divergent trends across sexes. GBD 2017 complies with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting. Findings: Globally, for females, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias in both 1990 and 2017. For males, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and tuberculosis including latent tuberculosis infection in both 1990 and 2017. In terms of YLDs, low back pain, headache disorders, and dietary iron deficiency were the leading Level 3 causes of YLD counts in 1990, whereas low back pain, headache disorders, and depressive disorders were the leading causes in 2017 for both sexes combined. All-cause age-standardised YLD rates decreased by 3·9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1-4·6) from 1990 to 2017; however, the all-age YLD rate increased by 7·2% (6·0-8·4) while the total sum of global YLDs increased from 562 million (421-723) to 853 million (642-1100). The increases for males and females were similar, with increases in all-age YLD rates of 7·9% (6·6-9·2) for males and 6·5% (5·4-7·7) for females. We found significant differences between males and females in terms of age-standardised prevalence estimates for multiple causes. The causes with the greatest relative differences between sexes in 2017 included substance use disorders (3018 cases [95% UI 2782-3252] per 100 000 in males vs 1400 [1279-1524] per 100 000 in females), transport injuries (3322 [3082-3583] vs 2336 [2154-2535]), and self-harm and interpersonal violence (3265 [2943-3630] vs 5643 [5057-6302]). Interpretation: Global all-cause age-standardised YLD rates have improved only slightly over a period spanning nearly three decades. However, the magnitude of the non-fatal disease burden has expanded globally, with increasing numbers of people who have a wide spectrum of conditions. A subset of conditions has remained globally pervasive since 1990, whereas other conditions have displayed more dynamic trends, with different ages, sexes, and geographies across the globe experiencing varying burdens and trends of health loss. This study emphasises how global improvements in premature mortality for select conditions have led to older populations with complex and potentially expensive diseases, yet also highlights global achievements in certain domains of disease and injury