The Variable Scale Evacuation Model (VSEM): a new tool for simulating massive evacuation processes during volcanic crises

Volcanic eruptions are among the most awesome and powerful displays of nature's force, constituting a major natural hazard for society (a single eruption can claim thousands of lives in an instant). Consequently, assessment and management of volcanic risk have become critically important goals of modern volcanology. Over recent years, numerous tools have been developed to evaluate volcanic risk and support volcanic crisis management: probabilistic analysis of future eruptions, hazard and risk maps, event trees, etc. However, there has been little improvement in the tools that may help Civil Defense officials to prepare Emergency Plans. Here we present a new tool for simulating massive evacuation processes during volcanic crisis: the Variable Scale Evacuation Model (VSEM). The main objective of the VSEM software is to optimize the evacuation process of Emergency Plans during volcanic crisis. For this, the VSEM allows the simulation of an evacuation considering different strategies depending on diverse impact scenarios. VSEM is able to calculate the required time for the complete evacuation taking into account diverse evacuation scenarios (number and type of population, infrastructure, road network, etc.) and to detect high-risk or "blackspots" of the road network. The program is versatile and can work at different scales, thus being capable of simulating the evacuation of small villages as well as huge cities

Advanced Surface Treatments for Improving the Biocompatibility of Prosthesis and Medical Implants

During the last two decades, numerous surface treatments have been developed to improve the biocompatibility of different types of prosthesis and other medical implants. Some of these devices are subject to demanding loading and friction conditions (e.g., hip, knee, and spine prosthesis). However, for other implants, there are more specific requirements as it happens for coronary stents or pacemaker electrodes. The materials used for the manufacture of the aforementioned devices are subjected to very high restrictions in terms of biocompatibility, in particular on chemical composition, corrosion resistance, or ion release. As a consequence, most of prosthesis and other implants are made of a limited number of materials such as titanium alloys, stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloys, UHMWPE, or PEEK. Unfortunately, from a strict point of view, none of these materials meet all the requirements that would be desirable in terms of durability and prevention of infections and inflammatory processes. Coatings and other surface treatments have been developed to solve these problems and to improve biocompatibility. In this chapter, we present an updated review of the most used surface engineering technologies for biomaterials, like novel PVD coatings, ion implantation, and other plasma spray treatments, as well as a critical review of the characterization techniques. This study is completed with an insight into the future of the field

The hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF-4) represses the mitochondrial HMG-CoA synthase gene

We have recently shown that the gene for the mitochondrial HMG-CoA synthase is a target for PPAR and that this receptor mediates the induction of this gene by fatty acids. With the aim of gaining further insight into the function and regulation of this gene we examined the effect of other members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily on its expression. We previously identified a regulatory element in the mitochondrial HMG-CoA synthase gene promoter that confers transcriptional regulation by PPAR, RXR and the orphan nuclear receptor COUP-TF, In this study we demonstrate a trans-repressing regulatory function for HNF-4 at this same nuclear receptor response element (NRRE). HNF-4 binds to the mitochondrial HMG-CoA synthase NRRE, and, in cotransfection assays in HepG2 cells, it represses PPAR-dependent activation of a reporter gene linked to the mitochondrial HMG-CoA synthase gene promoter. These results suggest that the mitochondrial HMG-CoA synthase gene is subject to differential regulation by the interplay of multiple members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily

Multilingüisme en famílies mixtes amb persones d'origen estranger a Catalunya

Catalunya ha experimentat un augment significatiu en les unions mixtes entre immigrants i nadius, les quals han donat lloc a un nombre creixent de persones amb orígens mixtos. Poc se sap sobre com les llars mixtes negocien les diferències culturals i el paper del «capital cultural mixt». Sobre la base de trenta entrevistes amb joves de pares amb diversos orígens culturals que resideixen a Catalunya, i cinquanta-vuit entrevistes a pares i mares immigrants que formen parella amb una persona autòctona, aquest article se centra en el paper de l'idioma. Utilitzen les famílies mixtes diversos idiomes en la seva vida quotidiana? Quins idiomes són preferits, i per què? Atès que el català és la llengua pròpia de Catalunya, examinem específicament el seu coneixement i ús. D'una banda, trobem que les famílies mixtes són generalment multilingües, i el coneixement de diferents llengües es considera que contribueix a la seva integració i mobilitat social. De l'altra, però, els individus que pertanyen a orígens ètnics minoritzats poden oposar-se a l'aprenentatge o l'ús de diferents idiomes perquè experimenten una dissonància identitària. Tot i ser nascuts a Catalunya, i autoidentificar-se com a catalans i en molts casos amb llengua pròpia catalana, pels seus trets fenotípics diferenciats, se'ls percep socialment com a estrangers o immigrants, i es veuen sovint interpel·lats en castellà. Aquests estigmes i prejudicis poden estar dissuadint la pràctica del multilingüisme a Catalunya, i privant dels beneficis que representa per als individus, les famílies i la societat en conjuntCatalonia has seen a significant increase in mixed unions between immigrants and natives, which has given rise to an increasing number of individuals with mixed origins. Little is known about how mixed households negotiate cultural differences and view the issue of "mixed cultural capital". Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with mixed youth of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds residing in Catalonia, and 58 in-depth interviews with immigrant parents in an intermarriage relationship, this paper focuses on the role of language. Do mixed families and individuals use a number of languages in their everyday lives? Which languages are transmitted, preferred and used, and why? Since Catalan is Catalonia's official public language in practical and symbolic terms, we specifically examine its knowledge and use. On the one hand, we find that mixed families are generally multilingual, as the knowledge of different languages is thought to contribute to social integration and social mobility. But on the other hand, we have found that mixed individuals who belong to minority ethnic or racial groups may resist learning or using different languages (whether their immigrant parent's native language or Catalan) because they experience an "identity mismatch" by which, despite being born in Catalonia, they are socially perceived as "foreigners" because of their different "visible" traits and are often spoken to in Spanish rather than Catalan. There- fore, rather than having mixed individuals and their society benefiting from the cultural capi- tal that multilingualism represents, prevalent stigmatization and prejudice in Catalonia may actually be deterring the practice of multilingualis

Cocoa intake and arterial stiffness in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To analyze the relationship of cocoa intake to central and peripheral blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and carotid intima-media thickness in subjects with some cardiovascular risk factor.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Design: A cross-sectional study of 351 subjects (mean age 54.76 years, 62.4% males). Measurements: Intake of cocoa and other foods using a food frequency questionnaire, central and peripheral (ambulatory and office) blood pressure, central and peripheral augmentation index, pulse wave velocity, ambulatory arterial stiffness index, carotid intima-media thickness, and ankle-brachial index.</p> <p>Results: Higher pulse wave velocity and greater cardiovascular risk were found in non-cocoa consumers as compared to high consumers (<it>p </it>< 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, these differences disappeared after adjusting for age, gender, the presence of diabetes, systolic blood pressure and antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drug use. All other arterial stiffness measures (central and peripheral augmentation index, ambulatory arterial stiffness index, ankle-brachial index, and carotid intima-media thickness) showed no differences between the different consumption groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In subjects with some cardiovascular risk factors, cocoa consumption does not imply improvement in the arterial stiffness values.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01325064">NCT01325064</a>.</p

Increased plasma soluble endoglin levels as an indicator of cardiovascular alterations in hypertensive and diabetic patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Endoglin is involved in the regulation of endothelial function, but there are no studies concerning its relation with hypertension- and diabetes-associated pathologies. Thus, we studied the relationship between plasma levels of soluble endoglin and cardiovascular alterations associated with hypertension and diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed 288 patients: 64 with type 2 diabetes, 159 with hypertension and 65 healthy patients. We assessed the relationship of soluble endoglin plasma levels measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with basal glycemia, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood pressure, endothelial dysfunction (assessed by pressure wave velocity), hypertensive retinopathy (by Keith-Wagener classification), left ventricular hypertrophy (by Cornell and Sokolow indexes), cardiovascular risk and target organ (heart, vascular, kidney) damage.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There are significant correlations between endoglin and glycemia, systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, pressure wave velocity and electrocardiographically assessed left ventricular hypertrophy. Endoglin levels were significantly higher in patients with diabetes who had nondipper and extreme dipper circadian blood pressure patterns than in dipper circadian patterns, in patients with hypertension and diabetes who had riser pattern than in the other patients, and in patients with diabetes but not hypertension who had extreme dipper pattern than in dipper, nondipper and riser groups. There was also a significant correlation between plasma-soluble endoglin and lower levels of systolic night-day ratio. Higher endoglin levels were found in patients with diabetes who had retinopathy, in patients with diabetes who had a high probability of 10-year cardiovascular risk, and in patients with diabetes and hypertension who had three or more damaged target organs (heart, vessels, kidney) than in those with no organs affected.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows that endoglin is an indicator of hypertension- and diabetes-associated vascular pathologies as endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular damage.</p

The correlation between urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and sperm quality in infertile men and rotating shift workers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that modulates a wide range of neuroendocrine functions. However, excessive circulating serotonin levels may induce harmful effects in the male reproductive system. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the levels of urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIIA), a major serotonin metabolite, correlate with different classical seminal parameters.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human ejaculates were obtained from 40 men attending infertility counselling and rotating shift workers by masturbation after 4-5 days of abstinence. Urinary 5- HIIA concentration was quantified by using a commercial ELISA kit. Forward motility was assessed by a computer-aided semen analysis (CASA) system. Sperm concentration was determined using the haemocytometer method. Sperm morphology was evaluated after Diff-Quik staining, while sperm vitality was estimated after Eosin-Nigrosin vital staining.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results show that urinary 5-HIIA levels obtained from a set of 20 volunteers negatively correlated with sperm concentration, forward motility, morphology normal range and sperm vitality. On the other hand, we checked the relationship between male infertility and urinary 5-HIIA levels in 20 night shift workers. Thus, urinary 5-HIIA levels obtained from 10 recently-proven fathers were significantly lower than those found in 10 infertile males. Additionally, samples from recent fathers exhibited higher sperm concentration, as well as better forward motility and normal morphology rate.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In the light of our findings, we concluded that high serotonin levels, indirectly measured as urinary 5-HIIA levels, appear to play a role as an infertility determinant in male subjects.</p

Historic Landscapes of the Guadiamar River basin (Seville): Mining and metallurgy in the easternmost area of the Iberian Pyritic Belt

En este artículo se presentan los primeros resultados, incidiendo especialmente en los aspectos arqueometalúrgicos, del proyecto de investigación Los Paisajes del Guadiamar. Este proyecto se desarrolla desde el año 2010, f inanciado por la “Fundación Focus-Abengoa”, en el valle medio del río Guadiamar (centro-oeste de la provincia de Sevilla). Aunque aún no se ha con- cluido la obtención de todos los datos arqueológicos y analíticos, una valoración preliminar permite adelantar algunas conclusiones y, sobre todo, contrastar hipótesis y teorías enunciadas en anteriores trabajos de investigación.The f irst results of the research project Los Paisajes del Guadiamar are presented in this paper, paying special attention to archaeometallurgical aspects. This project has been going on since 2010, located in the mid-valley of the River Guadiamar (central-western area of the province of Seville) and backed by the “Fundación Focus-Abengoa”. Although not all the archaeo- logical and analytical data are yet available, a preliminary approach permits to put forward some conclusions and, above all, to validate or to refute hypotheses and theories proposed in previous research works

Effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention in increasing adherence to the mediterranean diet among patients with diabetes mellitus type 2: a controlled and randomized study (EMID Study)

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns and has benefits such as improving glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Our aim is to assess the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention to improve adherence to theMD, diet quality and biomedical parameters. The EMID study is a randomized and controlled clinical trial with two parallel groups and a 12-month follow-up period. The study included 204 subjects between 25–70 years with T2DM. The participants were randomized into intervention group (IG) and control group (CG). Both groups received brief advice about healthy eating and physical activity. The IG participants additionally took part in a food workshop, five walks and received a smartphone application for three months. The population studied had a mean age of 60.6 years. At the 3-month follow-up visit, there were improvements in adherence to the MD and diet quality of 2.2 and 2.5 points, compared to the baseline visit, respectively, in favour of the IG. This tendency of the improvement was maintained, in favour of the IG, at the 12-month follow-up visit. In conclusion, the multifactorial intervention performed could improve adherence to the MD and diet quality among patients with T2DM.Regional Health Management through the 2016 grants to carry out research projects in biomedicine, health management and socio-health care (GRS 1276/B/16), the 2016 program for the professional development of nurses in their research activity (BOCYL-D-11022016-2) and the 2015 incentive program for nurses who have completed their residency (ORDER SAN / 360/2015). The study was also co-financed by the Carlos III Health Institute and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (RD 16/0007/0003)