Tsunami hazards in the Catalan Coast, a low-intensity seismic activity area

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-2918-zThe potential impacts of tsunamis along the Catalan Coast (NW Mediterranean) are analysed using numerical modelling. The region is characterized by moderate to low seismic activity and by moderate- to low-magnitude earthquakes. However, the occurrence of historical strong earthquakes and the location of several active offshore faults in front of the coast suggest that the possibility of an earthquake-triggered tsunami is not negligible although of low probability. Up to five faults have been identified to generate tsunamis, being the highest associated possible seismic magnitudes of up to 7.6. Coastal flooding and port agitation are characterized using the Worst-case Credible Tsunami Scenario Analysis approach. The results show a multiple fault source contribution to tsunami hazard. The shelf dimensions and the existence of submerged canyons control the tsunami propagation. In wide shelves, waves travelling offshore may become trapped by refraction causing the wave energy to reach the coastline at some distance from the origin. The free surface water elevation increases at the head of the canyons due to the sharp depth gradients. The effects of potential tsunamis would be very harmful in low-lying coastal stretches, such as deltas, with a high population concentration, assets and infrastructures. The Ebro delta appears to be the most exposed coast, and about the 20% of the delta surface is prone to flooding due to its extremely low-lying nature. The activity at Barcelona port will be severely affected by inflow backflow current at the entrance of up to 2 m/s.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Factors that affect quality of life among people living with HIV attending an urban clinic in Uganda: A cohort study

© 2015 Mutabazi-Mwesigire et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction: With the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and primary general care for people living with HIV (PLHIV) in resource limited settings, PLHIV are living longer, and HIV has been transformed into a chronic illness. People are diagnosed and started on treatment when they are relatively well. Although ART results in clinical improvement, the ultimate goal of treatment is full physical functioning and general well-being, with a focus on quality of life rather than clinical outcomes. However, there has been little research on the relationship of specific factors to quality of life in PLHIV. The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with quality of life among PLHIV in Uganda receiving basic care and those on ART. Methods: We enrolled 1274 patients attending an HIV outpatient clinic into a prospective cohort study. Of these, 640 received ART. All were followed up at 3 and 6 months. Health related quality of life was assessed with the MOS-HIV Health Survey and the Global Person Generated Index (GPGI). Multivariate linear regression and logistic regression with generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship of social behavioral and disease factors with Physical Health Summary (PHS) score, Mental Health Summary (MHS) score, and GPGI. Results: Among PLHIV receiving basic care, PHS was associated with: sex (p=0.045) - females had lower PHS; age in years at enrollment (p=0.0001) - older patients had lower PHS; and depression (

Off-label psychopharmacologic prescribing for children: History supports close clinical monitoring

The review presents pediatric adverse drug events from a historical perspective and focuses on selected safety issues associated with off-label use of medications for the psychiatric treatment of youth. Clinical monitoring procedures for major psychotropic drug classes are reviewed. Prior studies suggest that systematic treatment monitoring is warranted so as to both minimize risk of unexpected adverse events and exposures to ineffective treatments. Clinical trials to establish the efficacy and safety of drugs currently being used off-label in the pediatric population are needed. In the meantime, clinicians should consider the existing evidence-base for these drugs and institute close clinical monitoring

Hepatic enzymes' level during chronic use of anticonvulsant drugs Dosagens de enzimas hepáticas em pacientes em uso crônico de drogas antiepiléticas

We studied retrospectively 894 adult epileptic patients treated during the period from 1983 to 1992. Hepatic enzymes abnormal values were seen in 49%(n=438). In 22.3%(n=200), at least 2 enzyme levels in different moments were altered. They were divided in three groups: GI with alterations at transaminases (3%, n=6), GII with alterations at GGT and AP enzymes (72%,n=144) and GIII with alterations in both groups (25%, n=50). No patient developed clinical symptoms of liver disease. The increase of gamma-glutamil-transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) levels is frequent and not necessarily pathological. Slight increase of transaminases can occur with no clinical correlation. The routine screening of hepatic enzymes level during the chronic use of anticonvulsivant drugs in adults has a questionable value.<br>Oitocentos e noventa e quatro pacientes epiléticos adultos tratados no período de 1983 a 1992 foram estudados retrospectivamente. Valores anormais de enzimas hepáticas foram detectados em 49% (n=438) dos casos. Em 200 pacientes (22,3%), ao menos duas dosagens obtidas em momentos diferentes estavam alteradas. Estes últimos foram divididos em 3 grupos: GI, com alterações de transaminases (3%, n=6); GII com alterações de gama-glutamil-transferase (GGT) e fosfatase alcalina (AP) (72%, n=144) e GIII com alterações nos dois grupos de enzimas (25%, n=50). Nenhum paciente desenvolveu sinais ou sintomas de doença hepática. O aumento de GGT e AP em pacientes em uso de drogas antiepiléticas é frequente e pode não ter significado patológico. Pequenos aumentos de transaminases também podem ocorrer sem correlação clínica

Physical Modeling of Extreme Waves Propagating from the Open Sea to the Coastal Zone

International audienceThe evolution of solitary wave along the flume is investigated. Experiments were conducted in a smooth, rectangular sloping flume. Solitary waves are generated using a piston-type wave maker. These type of waves are generated by impulsive mechanism, close to the generation zone, their profile contains both elevation and depression components. These depressions are attached to the main solitary wave along the flume during the propagation. The main hydraulic parameters investigated are: energy damping along the flat bottom, wave height evolution on the slope (shoaling), breaking process and runup heights. It was found that experimental results are almost in good agreement with earlier studies. An empirical formula for runup heights determination is suggested. A good way for tracking the evolution of a solitary wave on flat and sloping bottom is presented thanks to spatiotemporal diagram. It is noted that for better accuracy, especially when investigating breaking, it is better to use camera