Polymer films containing chemically anchored diazonium salts with long-term stability as colorimetric sensors

We have prepared polymeric films as easy-to-handle sensory materials for the colorimetric detection and quantification of phenol derivatives (phenols) in water. Phenols in water resources result from their presence in pesticides and fungicides, among other goods, and are harmful ecotoxins. Colorless polymeric films with pendant diazonium groups attached to the acrylic polymer structure were designed and prepared for use as sensory matrices to detect phenol-derived species in water. Upon dipping the sensory films into aqueous media, the material swells, and if phenols are present, they react with the diazonium groups of the polymer to render a highly colored azo group, giving rise to the recognition phenomenon. The color development can be visually followed for a qualitative determination of phenols. Additionally, quantitative analysis can be performed by two different techniques: a) by using a UV–vis spectrophotometer (limit of detection of 0.12 ppm for 2-phenylphenol) and/or b) by using a smartphone with subsequent RGB analysis (limit of detection of 30 ppb for 2-phenylphenol)Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) (MAT2017-84501-R

An assessment of observed and simulated temperature variability in Sierra de Guadarrama

This work provides a first assessment of temperature variability at interannual and decadal timescales in Sierra de Guadarrama, a high mountain protected area of the Central System in the Iberian Peninsula. Observational data from stations located in the area and simulated data from a high-resolution simulation (1 km) with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, fed from ERA Interim reanalysis, are used in order to analyse the temperatura variability in the period 2000–2018. Comparison among all datasets allows evaluation of the realism of the model simulations. The results show that the model tends to underestimate the observational mean temperatures and anomalies at high-altitude stations. A linear mean temperature vertical gradient of −5.81 ◦C/km is observed, but it is overestimated by the model (−6.56 ◦C/km). The variability of the daily temperature anomalies for both observations and, to a lesser extent, simulations increases with height. The added value that the WRF offers against the use of the ERA Interim is evaluated. The results show that the WRF provides a better performance than the reanalysis, as it shows smaller biases with respect to observational temperature anomalies. Finally, the study of temperature trends over the Sierra de Guadarrama and its surroundings for the period 2000–2018 shows a warming in the area, significantly pronounced in autumn. When extended to the last decades, observations show that this warming has been happening since the first half of the 20th century, especially during the period 1970–2018, but not as much as during 2000–2018.This research was funded by CEI Moncloa UPM-UCM-Ciemat Cooperation Agreement: GuMNet (Guadarrama Monitoring Network) Initiative, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación: GreatModelS (RTI2018-102305-B-C21d), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación: GreatModelS (RTI2018-102305-B-C21d), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación: ILModels (CGL2014-59644-R/CLI)

A quality assurance process of a surface wind database in Eastern Canada

Presentación realizada para las XXXII Jornadas Científicas de la Asociación Meteorológica Española y 13º Encuentro Hispano-Luso de Meteorología celebrados en Alcobendas (Madrid), del 28 al 30 de mayo de 2012

Binding Potassium to Improve Treatment With Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors: Results From Multiple One-Stage Pairwise and Network Meta-Analyses of Clinical Trials.

This manuscript presents findings from the first dichotomous data pooling analysis on clinical trials (CT) regarding the effectiveness of binding potassium. The results emanated from pairwise and network meta-analyses aiming evaluation of response to commercial potassium-binding polymers, that is, to achieve and maintain normal serum potassium (n = 1,722), and the association between this response and an optimal dosing of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) needing individuals affected by heart failure (HF) or resistant hypertension, who may be consuming other hyperkalemia-inducing drugs (HKID) (e.g., β-blockers, heparin, etc.), and frequently are affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) (n = 1,044): According to the surface under the cumulative ranking area (SUCRA), sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) (SUCRA >0.78), patiromer (SUCRA >0.58) and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) (SUCRA <0.39) were different concerning their capacity to achieve normokalemia (serum potassium level (sK+) 3.5-5.0 mEq/L) or acceptable kalemia (sK+ ≤ 5.1 mEq/L) in individuals with hyperkalemia (sK+ >5.1 mEq/L), and, when normokalemia is achieved, patiromer 16.8-25.2 g/day (SUCRA = 0.94) and patiromer 8.4-16.8 g/day (SUCRA = 0.41) can allow to increase the dose of spironolactone up to 50 mg/day in subjects affected by heart failure (HF) or with resistant hypertension needing treatment with other RAASi. The potential of zirconium cyclosilicate should be explored further, as no data exists to assess properly its capacity to optimize dosing of RAASi, contrarily as it occurs with patiromer. More research is also necessary to discern between benefits of binding potassium among all type of hyperkalemic patients, for example, patients with DM who may need treatment for proteinuria, patients with early hypertension, etc. Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42020185614, CRD42020185558, CRD42020191430

Digitalization of the Logistics Process in Short Food Supply Chains.:An online Viable System Model application during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper reports an ongoing exercise concerning the design of a logistics App to support operations within Farmers’ Markets in Mexico. This exercise is part of a wider research agenda focused on ‘Supporting Alternative Food Networks’ (SAFeNET). This is a research agenda to conceive, build, implement, and develop better-informing decision-making processes that support effective and efficient AFNs (also known as Short Food Supply Chains) logistics operations in a digital environment, through smooth flows of goods and information among producers, AFNs coordinators, and consumers. This view calls for taking a systemic approach to help collectives of people to improve their autonomy and viability. Initial plans were to conduct this collaborative design exercise, using the Viable System Model (VSM) as a conversational tool. Accordingly, a series of face-to-face interviews and a focus group were planned. However, the lockdown due to COVID-19 forced researchers to abandon the face-to-face option and conduct the primary data collection online. The VSM intervention had to be adapted for its use on an online platform, in such a way that the platform would support knowledge building interactively, with a series of participants. This paper describes the format and visual appearance of the online VSM framework, its application, and the lessons learned through this exercise. Two points deserve to be highlighted: First, although the exercise outcome was very valuable for the next stage of the design, the participants’ capacity for collective and individual reflection during the workshop was limited. Second, participants continued adding comments via the adopted online visual collaboration platform after the workshop ended, showing an understanding of the process and commitment beyond the researchers’ expectations. The outcomes from this experiment are promissory, suggesting that online Systems Thinking interventions deserve further development

Influence of radiative forcing factors on ground–air temperature coupling during the last millennium: implications for borehole climatology

Past climate variations may be uncovered via reconstruction methods that use proxy data as predictors. Among them, borehole reconstruction is a well-established technique to recover the long-term past surface air temperature (SAT) evolution. It is based on the assumption that SAT changes are strongly coupled to ground surface temperature (GST) changes and transferred to the subsurface by thermal conduction. We evaluate the SAT–GST coupling during the last millennium (LM) using simulations from the Community Earth System Model LM Ensemble (CESM-LME). The validity of such a premise is explored by analyzing the structure of the SAT–GST covariance during the LM and also by investigating the evolution of the long-term SAT–GST relationship. The multiple and single-forcing simulations in the CESM-LME are used to analyze the SAT–GST relationship within different regions and spatial scales and to derive the influence of the different forcing factors on producing feedback mechanisms that alter the energy balance at the surface. The results indicate that SAT–GST coupling is strong at global and above multi-decadal timescales in CESM-LME, although a relatively small variation in the long-term SAT–GST relationship is also represented. However, at a global scale such variation does not significantly impact the SAT–GST coupling, at local to regional scales this relationship experiences considerable long-term changes mostly after the end of the 19th century. Land use land cover changes are the main driver for locally and regionally decoupling SAT and GST, as they modify the land surface properties such as albedo, surface roughness and hydrology, which in turn modifies the energy fluxes at the surface. Snow cover feedbacks due to the influence of other external forcing are also important for corrupting the long-term SAT–GST coupling. Our findings suggest that such local and regional SAT–GST decoupling processes may represent a source of bias for SAT reconstructions from borehole measurement, since the thermal signature imprinted in the subsurface over the affected regions is not fully representative of the long-term SAT variations.Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Competitividad (FPI grant no. BES-2015-075019)Versión del editor3,50

La importancia de los intereses académicos en la política científica y tecnológica catalana

Publicado en: 'Papers: Revista de Sociología', 70: 11-40, 2003Este artículo describe la emergencia y orientación de las políticas de I+D e innovación en Cataluña. Se analizan cuáles son los factores más influyentes en la orientación de estas políticas y, en definitiva, en las opciones políticas que se toman. La política de ciencia y tecnología desarrollada por el gobierno regional catalán desde principios de los años ochenta ha sido una política en la que, a pesar de las preferencias manifestadas en el discurso político, ha predominado un modelo de política académico sobre el de orientación empresarial. Asimismo, en términos organizativos e institucionales, en la Administración autonómica, la política científica ha estado separada y diferenciada de la política tecnológica a pesar del diseño inicial de instituciones interdepartamentales. La principal razón de que la política de I+D catalana no siguiera un modelo más industrial, ligado al mundo empresarial, fue la presión que ejercieron las universidades catalanas para que, tanto el diseño institucional como el contenido de la política se adaptara a sus necesidades. La trayectoria académica previa de los gestores también contribuyó a la reorientación de las preferencias políticas. A pesar de la importancia de las empresas catalanas en la I+D, éstas no se movilizaron ni presionaron a los gobiernos suficientemente. Analíticamente, este caso ilustra cómo la sola creación política de instituciones no garantiza la realización de las preferencias políticas. También pone de manifiesto cómo el horizonte temporal de la toma de decisiones gubernamental tiene un efecto en las expectativas de los actores, que desarrollan procesos de aprendizaje a partir de las experiencias en arenas políticas similares a otros niveles. Por último, destaca la importancia del poder en las instituciones de gestión en este tipo de política distributiva.Peer reviewe

La importancia de los intereses académicos en la política científica y tecnológica catalana

Publicado en: 'Papers: Revista de Sociología', 70: 11-40, 2003Este artículo describe la emergencia y orientación de las políticas de I+D e innovación en Cataluña. Se analizan cuáles son los factores más influyentes en la orientación de estas políticas y, en definitiva, en las opciones políticas que se toman. La política de ciencia y tecnología desarrollada por el gobierno regional catalán desde principios de los años ochenta ha sido una política en la que, a pesar de las preferencias manifestadas en el discurso político, ha predominado un modelo de política académico sobre el de orientación empresarial. Asimismo, en términos organizativos e institucionales, en la Administración autonómica, la política científica ha estado separada y diferenciada de la política tecnológica a pesar del diseño inicial de instituciones interdepartamentales. La principal razón de que la política de I+D catalana no siguiera un modelo más industrial, ligado al mundo empresarial, fue la presión que ejercieron las universidades catalanas para que, tanto el diseño institucional como el contenido de la política se adaptara a sus necesidades. La trayectoria académica previa de los gestores también contribuyó a la reorientación de las preferencias políticas. A pesar de la importancia de las empresas catalanas en la I+D, éstas no se movilizaron ni presionaron a los gobiernos suficientemente. Analíticamente, este caso ilustra cómo la sola creación política de instituciones no garantiza la realización de las preferencias políticas. También pone de manifiesto cómo el horizonte temporal de la toma de decisiones gubernamental tiene un efecto en las expectativas de los actores, que desarrollan procesos de aprendizaje a partir de las experiencias en arenas políticas similares a otros niveles. Por último, destaca la importancia del poder en las instituciones de gestión en este tipo de política distributiva.Este trabajo se ha realizado gracias a la financiación del Programa Marco de I+D, del PRICIT de la Comunidad de Madrid y del III Plan Nacional de I+D de la CICYT (SEC 1999-0829-C02-01).Peer reviewe

Evidencias arqueológicas de desplomes paramentales traumáticos en las Termas Marítimas de Baelo Claudia. Reflexiones arqueosismológicas

Durante los años 2011 a 2013 se han localizado, identificado y excavado parcialmente los restos de un nuevo complejo termal en la ciudad hispanorromana de Baelo Claudia (Tarifa, Cádiz), situado en el suburbium occidental de la ciudad, junto a la línea de costa. Denominadas Termas Marítimas, construidas en la primera mitad del s. II d.C. y abandonadas en época de Diocleciano/Constantino han sido excavadas estratigráficamente con detalle, habiéndose detectado la existencia de fases anteriores (que se remontan al s. II a.C.) y una continuidad de uso del ambiente en época tardorromana y moderna, vinculada con la explotación de los recursos marinos. Especialmente singular ha sido la constatación del desplome traumático de parte de los paramentos de las habitaciones del edificio en dos momentos concretos: por un lado en la Antigüedad Tardía (500 d.C. circa), ya que una unidad muraria de una de las habitaciones (H-3), anexa a la natatio, se localizó completamente derrumbada sobre el suelo, conexionada; y por otro, el desplome del muro oeste de la natatio y el oriental de la cisterna, estructuras de más de seis metros de longitud y cuatro de altura mínima conservada, desplomadas sobre los niveles de abandono del asentamiento en época bajomedieval o moderna (ss. XIV-XV d.C.). Se trata en ambas ocasiones de colapsos estructurales no habituales en circunstancias normales en los procesos de sedimentación arqueológica, por lo que es muy probable que su desplome se pueda vincular con eventos sísmicos u otras causas naturales similare

Large-scale temperature response to external forcing in simulations and reconstructions of the last millennium

Understanding natural climate variability and its driving factors is crucial to assessing future climate change. Therefore, comparing proxy-based climate reconstructions with forcing factors as well as comparing these with paleo-climate model simulations is key to gaining insights into the relative roles of internal versus forced variability. A review of the state of modelling of the climate of the last millennium prior to the CMIP5-PMIP3 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5-Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase 3) coordinated effort is presented and compared to the available temperature reconstructions. Simulations and reconstructions broadly agree on reproducing the major temperature changes and suggest an overall linear response to external forcing on multidecadal or longer timescales. Internal variability is found to have an important influence at hemispheric and global scales. The spatial distribution of simulated temperature changes during the transition from the Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age disagrees with that found in the reconstructions. Thus, either internal variability is a possible major player in shaping temperature changes through the millennium or the model simulations have problems realistically representing the response pattern to external forcing. A last millennium transient climate response (LMTCR) is defined to provide a quantitative framework for analysing the consistency between simulated and reconstructed climate. Beyond an overall agreement between simulated and reconstructed LMTCR ranges, this analysis is able to single out specific discrepancies between some reconstructions and the ensemble of simulations. The disagreement is found in the cases where the reconstructions show reduced covariability with external forcings or when they present high rates of temperature change