Función de calefacción en pastas de cemento con adición de nanofibras de carbono

The viability of carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites in cement matrices as a self-heating material is reported in this paper. This functional application would allow the use of CNF cement composites as a heating element in buildings, or for deicing pavements of civil engineering transport infrastructures, such as highways or airport runways. Cement pastes with the addition of different CNF dosages (from 0 to 5% by cement mass) have been prepared. Afterwards, tests were run at different fixed voltages (50, 100 and 150V), and the temperature of the specimens was registered. Also the possibility of using a casting method like shotcrete, instead of just pouring the fresh mix into the mild (with no system’s efficiency loss expected) was studied. Temperatures up to 138 °C were registered during shotcrete-5% CNF cement paste tests (showing initial 10 °C/min heating rates). However a minimum voltage was required in order to achieve a proper system functioning.En este artículo se estudia la viabilidad del uso de matrices cementicias con adición de nanofibras de carbono (NFC) como elementos calefactores. Esto permitiría aumentar la temperatura de estancias en edificación o el deshielo de pavimentos en obras civiles. Se han fabricado pastas de cemento con distintas dosificaciones de NFC (0, 1, 2 y 5% respecto masa del cemento) y sometidas al paso de corriente continua a distintos potenciales fijos (50, 100 y 150 V), mientras se controlaba la temperatura en distintos puntos. Se ha estudiado la viabilidad de utilizar la proyección de la pasta fresca como método de puesta en obra, sin perjudicar la eficiencia del sistema. Se consiguieron temperaturas de hasta 138 °C (con velocidades iniciales de 10 °C/min) para pasta proyectada con 5% NFC. Además se ha detectado la necesidad de un potencial mínimo para que la densidad de corriente resultante sea suficiente para producir el efecto esperado.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación for its financial support (ref: Mat2009-10866)

Case Report: Rhinosporidiosis Literature Review

Rhinosporidiosis is caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi, a pathogen currently considered a fungus-like parasite of the eukaryotic group Mesomycetozoea. It is usually a benign condition, with slow growth of polypoid lesions, with involvement of the nose, nasopharynx, or eyes. The clinical characteristics of a painless, friable, polypoid mass, usually unilateral, can guide the diagnosis, but the gold standard for diagnosis is histopathological findings. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathobiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic strategies, and treatment approach for rhinosporidiosis

Flavored Non-Minimal Left-Right Symmetric Model Fermion Masses and Mixings

A complete study on the fermion masses and flavor mixing is presented in a non-minimal left-right symmetric model (NMLRMS) where the ${\bf S}_{3}\otimes {\bf Z}_{2}\otimes {\bf Z}^{e}_{2}$ flavor symmetry drives the Yukawa couplings. In the quark sector, the mass matrices possess a kind of the generalized Fritzsch textures that allow us to fit the CKM mixing matrix in good agreement to the last experimental data. In the lepton sector, on the other hand, a soft breaking of the $\mu\leftrightarrow \tau$ symmetry provides a non zero and non maximal reactor and atmospheric angles, respectively. The inverted and degenerate hierarchy are favored in the model where a set of free parameters is found to be consistent with the current neutrino data.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures. references added, typos corrected, JCGI added his current institution;conclusions rewrote and unchanged results. Version published in European Physical Journal

Differences in cardiorespiratory responses in winter mountaineering according to the pathway snow conditions

Locomotion during ascent requires higher energetic consumption than in flat terrain. Efficiency in locomotion decreases in snowy terrain, presumably because of the changes in the biomechanical pattern of walking. This study aims to observe differences in cardiorespiratory responses and energetic expenditure between locomotion in a snowy terrain with an already fixed footstep pathway (FP) and in fresh virgin snow (FS) that has not been previously compacted. 15 volunteers participated in the study, all of them with experience in mountain activities at a competition level, with a regular training regime up to 10 hours a week. Estimated maximal theoretical oxygen consumption showed a mild increase (2,6% CI 95%: 0.9-4.5%, t=3.2, p=0.005) when subjects progressed in FP. Time necessary to complete FS (4 min and 15 sec ± 30 sec) itinerary was longer than for FP (3 min 45 sec ± 29 sec). Uphill walking velocity improved in 0.43 ± 0.11 Km·h-1 (t=4.2 p=0,01) when progressing in CT. Respiratory rate was higher for FS (2.3 ± 2.4 b·min-1, t=4.0 p= 0.001). For a same itinerary, locomotion in snow that has not been compacted before requires more time and represents a higher energetic cost, either at maximal or submaximal intensities. This should be considered in scheduling mountain ascents as part of the safety strategies. Climbing on virgin snow impedes developing maximal aerobic power so athletes must regard the value of strength work of lower limbs to improve performance

Development of machine learning system for airway prediction from facial image with mobile device

Goals: A reliable prognostic tool for a difficult airway (DA) may enhance patients’ safety during orotracheal intubation by decreasing unanticipated DAs. We aim to examine the applicability of an Artificial Intelligence-Deep Learning (AI-DL) algorithm to measure airway’s anatomy, and to predict DA based on published models. Materials and methods: Observational prospective cohort study with n=503 patients recruited at Galdakao-Usansolo and Basurto University Hospitals (Biscay, Spain) between 2018 and 2020. Two pre-operative photos for each patient were collected: a frontal view, in which patients were instructed to open their mouth completely; and a lateral view, with head in vertical ex tension. Smartphones with general-purpose cameras were used, and a cue card was added to the scene as reference. Patients’ medical records were logged. After intubation, HAN score and IDS-ASA criteria for intubation difficulty [1] were collected. Our anaesthesiology team defined a set of relevant orofacial landmarks, whereas our data-science team developed an AI-DL algorithm, trained to identify locate them automatically within the images. In a previous evaluation, the system achieved an accuracy comparable to the consensus of two human annotators [2]. Landmark positions output by the AI-DL method were subsequently used by the system to ex tract two anatomical measurements: thyromental distance and interincisor gap. Finally, these two were integrated into a published model for DA prognosis: Naguib et al. 2006 [3], which also employed patients’ height and Mallampati score. Results and discussion: The estimated incidence of DA was 6.36% (32 out of 503 patients) according to the IDS-ASA criteria. Naguib’s model, when used in combination with our automatic AI-DL based measurements, achieved 53.12% sensitivity and 79.83% specificity; compared to clinicians’ subjective assessment, who obtained 25.00% sensitivity and 93.63% specificity. Conclusion(s): In this work, we evaluated an AI-DL method to predict DA for intubation, with two pre-operative photos and Naguib’s model. Our results complemented expert judgements’ predictive ability in terms of sensitivity, substantially lowering false negatives; at the expense of a restrained loss in specificity (false positives). Thus, our proposal may provide anaesthesiologists with an automatic, objective and accessible decision support tool for the prognosis of DAs

Prescribing or co-designing exercise in healthy adults? Effects on mental health and interoceptive awareness

Universal exercise recommendations for adults neglect individual preferences, changing constraints, and their potential impact on associated health benefits. A recent proposal suggests replacing the standardized World Health Organisation (WHO) exercise recommendations for healthy adults by co designed interventions where individuals participate actively in the decisions about the selected physical activities and the effort regulation. This study contrasts the effects on mental health and interoceptive awareness of a co designed and co-adapted exercise intervention with an exercise program based on the WHO recommendations for healthy adults. Twenty healthy adults (10 men and 10 women, 40-55 y.o.) participated voluntarily in the research. They were randomly assigned to a co-designed exercise intervention (CoD group) and a prescribed exercise program (WHO group). Supervised online by specialized personal trainers, both programs lasted 9 weeks and were equivalent in volume and intensity. The effects of the exercise intervention were tested through personal interviews, questionnaires (DASS 21 and MAIA) and a cardiorespiratory exercise test. Intragroup differences (pre post) were assessed using the Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test and intergroup differences through Student's t-tests. Effect sizes were calculated through Cohen's d. Interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis. Eleven participants completed the intervention (CoD = 8, WHO = 5). Both groups improved, but non significantly, their cardiorespiratory testing results, and no differences were found between them post-intervention. Mental health was only enhanced in the CoD group (p < 0.001), and interoceptive awareness improved in seven of the eight scales in the CoD group (p < 0.001) and only in 3 scales in the WHO group (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the co-designed intervention was more effective for developing mental health, interoceptive awareness, autonomy, and exercise self-regulation than the WHO-based exercise program

Highly Conductive Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete for Icing Prevention and Curing

This paper aims to study the feasibility of highly conductive carbon fiber reinforced concrete (CFRC) as a self-heating material for ice formation prevention and curing in pavements. Tests were carried out in lab ambient conditions at different fixed voltages and then introduced in a freezer at −15 °C. The specimens inside the freezer were exposed to different fixed voltages when reaching +5 °C for prevention of icing and when reaching the temperature inside the freezer, i.e., −15 °C, for curing of icing. Results show that this concrete could act as a heating element in pavements with risk of ice formation, consuming a reasonable amount of energy for both anti-icing (prevention) and deicing (curing), which could turn into an environmentally friendly and cost-effective deicing method.Authors want to acknowledge Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2013/035) for their economic support on this research, including funds for covering the costs to publish in open access

Amputation risk factors in severely frostbitten patients

In recent years, the incidence of frostbite has increased among healthy young adults who practice winter sports (skiing, mountaineering, ice climbing and technical climbing/alpinism) at both the professional and amateur levels. Moreover, given that the population most frequently affected is healthy and active, frostbite supposes a substantial interruption of their normal activity and in most cases is associated with long-term sequelae. It particularly has a higher impact when the affected person's daily activities require exposure to cold environments, as either sports practices or work activities in which low temperatures are a constant (ski patrols, mountain guides, avalanche forecasters, workers in the cold chain, etc.). Clinical experience with humans shows a limited reversibility of injuries via potential tissue regeneration, which can be fostered with optimal medical management. Data were collected from 92 frostbitten patients in order to evaluate factors that represent a risk of amputation after severe frostbite. Mountain range, years of expertise in winter mountaineering, time elapsed before rewarming and especially altitude were the most important factors for a poor prognosis

És apropiada l'activitat física que fan els nostres escolars? Existeix correlació entre l'índex de massa corporal i les característiques de l'activitat física desenvolupada?

Fonament. Un dels objectius de la salut pública és la promoció d'un estil de vida actiu. La població infantil és clau, ja que l'activitat física (AF) és necessària per a un creixement saludable; és molt difícil canviar hàbits a partir de l'adolescència i el sedentarisme és factor causal de patologia i d'obesitat infantil. Objectiu. Conèixer les característiques de l'AF realitzada pels nostres escolars, estimar el temps destinat a conductes sedentàries (screen-time) i analitzar la relació entre índex de massa corporal (IMC), AF i screen-time. Mètode. Participants: 329 escolars (medi rural) prèvia obtenció del consentiment informat. Variables estudiades: IMC; AF i screen-time (enquesta de 7 dies i test K13 Plus d'AF). Resultats. Descriptius (mitjana ± DE): edat 7,2 ± 2,6 anys. IMC 17,3 ± 3,2 kg/m2 , Z-score IMC 0,12 ± 1,1. Screentime 59,4 ± 43,4 minuts/dia. Tipus AF (minuts/dia): intensitat lleu 34,7 ± 29,9, moderada 59,07 ± 52, elevada 26,2 ± 27,5. Puntuació test K13 Plus d'AF 5,5 ± 1,9 (puntuació equivalent a regular). Anàlisi correlació: significativa inversa entre IMC i AF de moderada intensitat (coeficient de Pearson -0,130; p = 0,018). Conclusions. En general, els valors mitjans dels infants avaluats corresponen amb els considerats aconsellables actualment, tot i que possiblement cal optimitzar les recomanacions vigents. En la prevenció del sobrepès/obesitat infantil cal considerar la correlació IMC/AF de moderada intensitat. S'han de promoure intervencions adreçades a augmentar el temps d'AF d'intensitat lleu i moderada, i a evitar un augment de l'screen-time. La piràmide d'AF pot ser una bona eina per al consell i ensenyament a les famílies