Data Reduction Pipeline for EMIR; a near-IR multiobject spectrograph for the Spanish 10m telescope

EMIR (Espectrógrafo Multiobjeto Infrarrojo) is a near-infrared wide-field camera and multi-object spectrograph to be built for the 10.4m Spanish telescope (Gran Telescopio Canarias, GTC) at La Palma. The Data Reduction Pipeline (DRP), which is being designed and built by the EMIR Universidad Complutense de Madrid group, will be optimized for handling and reducing near-infrared data acquired with EMIR. Both reduced data and associated error frames will be delivered to the end-users as a final product

Climate-Based Emulator of Distant Swell Trains and Local Seas Approaching a Pacific Atoll

ABSTRACT: Wave-induced flooding is a major coastal hazard for the low-lying atolls of the Pacific. These flooding events are expected to increase over time, which may cause significant coastal damage in some locations. Coastal flooding analysis (forensic or forecasted) is particularly challenging in these small islands due to the co-occurrence of several swells and local seas propagating in a complex configuration of archipelagos. Therefore, assessing the contribution of swells and wind seas on the flooding hazards that threaten the atoll islands requires the spectral characterization of the wave climate, since integrated wave parameters do not accurately represent the wave conditions in these environments. On the other hand, the relative short records of wave conditions, represent only a small fraction of the possible range of combinations that could produce a wave-induced flooding event. For these reasons, we propose the analysis of all the spectral energy arriving toward a study site, by isolating and parameterizing each swell train. Then, taking into account the link with large-scale climatic patterns (i.e., El Niño Southern Oscillation), we present a new multi-modal seas emulator capable of generating infinitely long time series of synthetic individual swell trains and seas. This new climate-based emulator allows a better understanding of swell behavior in the Pacific, and the generation of multimodal wave conditions to populate the historical records as a key point to perform robust coastal flood risk assessments considering climate variability

Evaluación de las enzimas celulolíticas producidas por hongosnativos mediante fermentación en estado sólido (ssf) utilizando residuos de cosecha de caña de azúcar

ResumenLos residuos agrícolas de cosecha de caña de azúcar (RAC), se constituyen en una materia prima alternativa para la producción de etanol carburante, dado su contenido de celulosa próximo al 40%.  El aprovechamiento de la celulosa depende de la aplicación de tratamientos fisicoquímicos o bioquímicos, que permitan la liberación de la glucosa y su posterior utilización en procesos fermentativos. La hidrólisis enzimática de estos residuos requiere un complejo celulolítico producido por microorganismos, comprendido por tres actividades enzimáticas: Endoglucanasas, Exoglucanasas y β-Glucosidasas.  En el presente estudio, se evaluaron las enzimas celulolíticas producidas por dos hongos nativos del género Aspergillus spp., CH 2016 y CH 2001, mediante procesos de fermentación en estado sólido utilizando como sustrato RAC pre-tratados con organosolventes (deslignificado) y sin este pre-tratamiento. La cepa CH 2016 presentó la mayor actividad endoglucanasa 11,0773  U/mL en el sustrato sin pre-tratar el día siete de fermentación; esta misma cepa, en el sustrato deslignificado presentó la mayor actividad exoglucanasa (0,042 U/mL) y celulasa total (0,287 UPF/mL) en el día cinco de fermentación. La cepa CH 2001 presentó la mayor actividad β-glucosidasa (0,1778 U/mL) en el sustrato sin pre-tratar el día cinco de fermentación. Se observó que las variables sustrato y tiempo de fermentación, inciden en la expresión de las enzimas celulolíticas obteniendo en este trabajo extractos enzimáticos que pueden llevar a cabo una acción hidrolítica sinérgica sobre la celulosa.  Palabras clave: fermentación en estado sólido SSF, RAC, celulosa, enzimas celulolíticas, Aspergillus sp., APF.Abstract Sugarcane harvesting residues are considered as a raw material for fuel ethanol production due its high content of cellulose, around 40% DS. The use of cellulose depends of the application of physicochemical or biochemical treatments that allow the release of glucose and its subsequent uses in fermentation processes. The enzymatic hydrolysis of these residues requires a cellulolytic complex produced by microorganisms, including three enzymatic activities: Endoglucanases, β-Glucosidases and Exoglucanases. In the present study, cellulolytic enzymes produced by two native fungi Aspergillus spp., CH 2016 and CH 2001 was assessment, through of solid-state fermentation processes using as raw substrate RAC and pre-treated with organosolvents (delignified). Strain CH 2016 had the highest endoglucanase activity 11.0773 U/mL in the raw substrate on day seven of fermentation, the same strain, in the delignified substrate showed the highest activity exoglucanasa (0.042 U/mL ) and total cellulase (0.287 UPF/mL) on day five of fermentation. Strain CH 2001 got the highest β-glucosidase activity (0.1778 U/mL) in the substrate without pre-treatment on day 5 of fermentation. It was observed that the variables as substrate and fermentation time affected the expression of cellulolytic enzymes. Key words: solid State Fermentation SSF, Sugarcane harvest residues, Cellulose, Cellulolityc enzymes, Aspergillus spp

Influence of Connection Type and Platform Diameter on Titanium Dental Implants Fatigue: Non-Axial Loading Cyclic Test Analysis

Two-pieces dental implants must provide stability of the implant-abutment-interface. The connection type and platform diameter could influence the biomechanical resistance and stress distribution. This study aims to evaluate the fatigue for different types of connections, external and internal, and different platform diameters. Three implant designs with the same length were used: (a) external hexagon/narrow platform; (b) internal double hexagon/narrow platform; (c) internal octagon/regular platform. A fatigue test was developed to establish the number of cycles needed before fracture. A 30º oblique load with a sinusoidal function of fatigue at a frequency of 15 Hz and 10% stress variation was applied to each system. The fatigue load limit (FLL) for design (a) was 190N, being the nominal-curvature-moment (NCM) = 1.045; FLL = 150 N, with a NCM = 0.825 for (b), and FLL = 325 N, with a NCM = 1.788 for (c). The platform diameter affects the FLL, obtaining lower FLL on a narrow platform. The connection type interferes with the implant walls' width, especially in narrow implants, making internal connections more unstable at this level. Long-term clinical studies to assess the restoration's success rate and survival are mandatory

Assessing care-related regret among nurses specialized in multiple sclerosis: A psychometric analysis of a new assessment battery

Experiences of regret associated with caring for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect medical decisions. A non-interventional study was conducted to assess the dimensionality and item characteristics of a battery including the Regret Intensity Scale (RIS-10) and 15 items evaluating common situations experienced by nurses in MS care. A total of 97 nurses were included. The RIS-10 showed good internal reliability and a unidimensional structure according to Mokken analysis. All-item homogeneity coefficients exceeded 0.30, whereas scalability for the overall RIS-10 was 0.66, indicating a strong scale. This battery showed adequate psychometric properties to evaluate regret among MS nurseThe author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the Medical Department of Roche Farma Spain (SL42129)

Development of a robotic device for post-stroke home tele-rehabilitation

This work deals with the complex mechanical design task of converting a large pneumatic rehabilitation robot into an electric and compact system for in-home post-stroke therapies without losing performance. It presents the new HomeRehab robot that supports rehabilitation therapies in three dimensions with an adaptive controller that optimizes patient recovery. A preliminary usability test is also conducted to show that its performance resembles that found in RoboTherapist 2D commercial system designed for hospitals. The mechanical design of a novel and smart twodimensional force sensor at the end-effector is also described

Data Reduction Pipeline for EMIR; a near-IR multiobject spectrograph for the Spanish 10m telescope

EMIR (Espectrógrafo Multiobjeto Infrarrojo) is a near-infrared wide-field camera and multi-object spectrograph to be built for the 10.4m Spanish telescope (Gran Telescopio Canarias, GTC) at La Palma. The Data Reduction Pipeline (DRP), which is being designed and built by the EMIR Universidad Complutense de Madrid group, will be optimized for handling and reducing near-infrared data acquired with EMIR. Both reduced data and associated error frames will be delivered to the end-users as a final product

Emergency department direct discharge compared to short-stay unit admission for selected patients with acute heart failure: analysis of short-term outcomes

Short stay unit (SSU) is an alternative to conventional hospitalization in patients with acute heart failure (AHF), but the prognosis is not known compared to direct discharge from the emergency department (ED). To determine whether direct discharge from the ED of patients diagnosed with AHF is associated with early adverse outcomes versus hospitalization in SSU. Endpoints, defined as 30-day all-cause mortality or post-discharge adverse events, were evaluated in patients diagnosed with AHF in 17 Spanish EDs with an SSU, and compared by ED discharge vs. SSU hospitalization. Endpoint risk was adjusted for baseline and AHF episode characteristics and in patients matched by propensity score (PS) for SSU hospitalization. Overall, 2358 patients were discharged home and 2003 were hospitalized in SSUs. Discharged patients were younger, more frequently men, with fewer comorbidities, had better baseline status, less infection, rapid atrial fibrillation and hypertensive emergency as the AHF trigger, and had a lower severity of AHF episode. While their 30-day mortality rate was lower than in patients hospitalized in SSU (4.4% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.001), 30-day post-discharge adverse events were similar (27.2% vs. 28.4%, p = 0.599). After adjustment, there were no differences in the 30-day risk of mortality of discharged patients (adjusted HR 0.846, 95% CI 0.637-1.107) or adverse events (1.035, 0.914-1.173). In 337 pairs of PS-matched patients, there were no differences in mortality or risk of adverse event between patients directly discharged or admitted to an SSU (0.753, 0.409-1.397; and 0.858, 0.645-1.142; respectively). Direct ED discharge of patients diagnosed with AHF provides similar outcomes compared to patients with similar characteristics and hospitalized in a SSU

Seroprevalence of the strongyloides stercoralis infection in humans from yungas rainforest and gran chaco region from Argentina and Bolivia

The threadworm, Strongyloides stercoralis, is endemic in tropical and subtropical areas. Data on the prevalence and distribution of infection with this parasite species is scarce in many critical regions. We conducted a seroprevalence study of S. stercoralis infection in 13 locations in the Gran Chaco and Yungas regions of Argentina and Bolivia during the period 2010–2016. A total of 2803 human serum samples were analyzed by ELISA-NIE which has a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 95%. Results showed that 551 (19.6%) of those samples were positive. The adjusted prevalence was 20.9%, (95% confidence interval (CI) 19.4%–22.4%). The distribution of cases was similar between females and males with an increase of prevalence with age. The prevalence in the different locations ranged from 7.75% in Pampa del Indio to 44.55% in Santa Victoria Este in the triple border between Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay in the Chaco region. Our results show that S. stercoralis is highly prevalent in the Chaco and Yungas regions, which should prompt prospective surveys to confirm our findings and the design and deployment of control measures.Fil: Cimino, Rubén Oscar. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Escuela de Biología. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; ArgentinaFil: Fleitas, Pedro Emanuel. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Escuela de Biología. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Mariana. Asociación para el desarrollo sanitario regional; ArgentinaFil: Echazú, Adriana. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; ArgentinaFil: Juarez, Marisa del Valle. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; ArgentinaFil: Floridia Yapur, Noelia Aldana del Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Escuela de Biología. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Cajal, Silvana Pamela. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; ArgentinaFil: Seijo, Alfredo. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas "Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz"; ArgentinaFil: Abril, Marcelo. Fundación Mundo Sano; ArgentinaFil: Weinberg, Diego. Fundación Mundo Sano; ArgentinaFil: Piorno, Pablo Emiliano. Asociación para el desarrollo sanitario regional; ArgentinaFil: Caro, Nicolás. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; ArgentinaFil: Vargas, Paola. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; ArgentinaFil: Gil, José Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional. Grupo Vinculado al INENCO - Instituto de Investigaciones y Políticas del Ambiente Constituido | Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Cienicas Exactas. Departamento de Física. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional. Grupo Vinculado al INENCO - Instituto de Investigaciones y Políticas del Ambiente Constituido; ArgentinaFil: Crudo, Favio. Asociación para el desarrollo sanitario regional; ArgentinaFil: Krolewiecki, Alejandro Javier. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; Argentin