17 research outputs found

    Karst: a very diverse concept

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    La gran diversidad intrínseca del karst y la variedad de campos científicos desde los que ha sido estudiado este medio ha generado un espectacular aumento de su conocimiento. Ese avance ha venido acompañado también de nuevas incógnitas y nuevos planteamientos. El presente trabajo trata de recoger una pequeña muestra de esa amplia diversidad, asociada a un elevado grado de especialización, que de forma integrada permite completar el puzzle del karst. Inicialmente, se presenta una revisión sintética del concepto de karst, del proceso de karstificación y de las morfologías asociadas al mismo. Seguidamente, y planteado a partir de una serie de interrogantes, se muestran algunos aspectos y curiosidades relacionadas con el karst. Las características microclimáticas subterráneas, el karst no tradicional o los depósitos y mineralizaciones asociados al karst, son algunos de los temas que se incluyen en este trabajo y que puede interesar a los docentes que imparten docencia sobre el karst.The great intrinsic diversity of karst and the variety of scientific fields in which it has been studied has generated a dramatic increase in our knowledge about it. This advance has also been accompanied by new questions and issues that open the door to new approaches. Our work intends to show a small sample of the wide diversity, often associated with a high degree of specialization, which allows completing the karst puzzle. In the first place, this paper provides a synthetic review of the concept of karst, the karstification process and the morphologies associated with it. Next, starting with a few questions, it shows some aspects and curiosities related to karst. The features of the underground microclimate, the non-traditional karst or deposits and mineralization associated with karst, are some of the topics included in this work, which can be interesting for the teachers dealing with the topic of karst in their classes

    EstuPlan: Methodology for the development of creativity in the resolution of scientific and social problems

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    [EN] Creative thinking is necessary to generate novel ideas and solve problems. "EstuPlan" is a methodology in which knowledge and creativity converge for the resolution of scientific problems with social projection. It is a training programme that integrates teachers, laboratory technicians and PhD students, master and undergraduate students which form working groups for the development of projects. Projects have a broad and essential scope and projection in terms of environmental problems, sustainable use of natural resources, food, health, biotechnology or biomedicine. The results show the success of this significant learning methodology using tools to develop creativity in responding to scientific and social demand for problem-solving to transfer academic knowledge to different professional environments. Bioplastics, Second Life of Coffee, LimBio, Algae oils, Ecomers, Caring for the life of your crop and Hate to Deforestate are currently being developed.Astudillo Calderón, S.; De Díez De La Torre, L.; García Companys, M.; Ortega Pérez, N.; Rodríguez Martínez, V.; Alzahrani, S.; Alonso Valenzuela, R.... (2019). EstuPlan: Methodology for the development of creativity in the resolution of scientific and social problems. En HEAD'19. 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 711-717. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD19.2019.9205OCS71171

    Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

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    Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

    Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

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    Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

    Secretion pattern, ultrastructural localization and function of extracellular matrix molecules involved in eggshell formation

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    The chicken eggshell is a composite bioceramic containing organic and inorganic phases. The organic phase contains, among other constituents, type X collagen and proteoglycans (mammillan, a keratan sulfate proteoglycan, and ovoglycan, a dermatan sulfate proteoglycan), whose localization depends on a topographically defined and temporally regulated deposition. Although the distribution of these macromolecules in the eggshell has been well established, little is known about their precise localization within eggshell substructures and oviduct cells or their pattern of production and function during eggshell formation. By using immunofluorescent and immuno-ultrastructural analyses, we examined the distribution of these macromolecules in oviduct cells at different post-oviposition times. To understand the role of proteoglycan sulfation on eggshell formation, we studied the effects of inhibition of proteoglycan sulfation by treatment with sodium chlorate. We showed that these macromolecules are produced by particular oviduct cell populations and at precise post-oviposition times. Based on the precise ultrastructural localization of these macromolecules in eggshell substructures, the timing of the secretion of these macromolecules by oviduct cells and the effects on eggshell formation caused by the inhibition of proteoglycan sulfation, the putative role of mammillan is in the nucleation of the first calcite crystals, while that of ovoglycan is to regulate the growth and orientation of the later forming crystals of the chicken eggshel

    Distinct Effects of Avian Egg Derived Anionic Proteoglycans on the Early Stages of Calcium Carbonate Mineralization

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    Artículo de publicación ISIThis Communication addresses the effects of egg membrane- and shell-associated proteoglycans, namely, keratan sulfate and dermatan sulfate, respectively, on the nascent stages of CaCO3 mineralization. Composed of calcitic columns intimately associated with a collagen membrane, the mechanisms underlying mineral growth are regulated by biomolecules. Of these, the role of proteoglycans is crucial because of their defined temporal and spatial distributions that direct mineral growth. The proteoglycans analyzed here induce dissimilar effects on the early stages of calcium carbonate mineralization. Egg-membrane associated keratan sulfate has a stabilizing effect toward soluble calcium carbonate prenucleation clusters and promotes formation of phases with lower solubility products after nucleation. In contrast, dermatan sulfate destabilizes prenu&ation clusters and leads to more soluble phases of calcium carbonate postnudeation. The distinct effects of proteoglycans on calcium carbonate crystallization elucidate their unique spatiotemporal localization during egg mineralization.FONDECYT - Chilean Council for Science and Technology (CONICYT) 112017
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