EVALUACIÓN DE UN HUMEDAL ARTIFICIAL COMO TRATAMIENTO PARA EFLUENTES SINTÉTICOS DE TENERÍA

Los efluentes generados en las tenerías son muy contaminantes debido a la elevada cantidad de reactivos químicos requeridos para transformar las pieles de animales en cueros. En la presente investigación se evaluó la eficiencia de remoción de la demanda química de oxígeno (DQO) de un humedal artificial como tratamiento para efluentes sintéticos con características similares a los de una tenería, además se determinó la presencia de bacterias heterótrofas y su relación con la remoción de DQO. El humedal de flujo subsuperficial plantado con la especie Phragmites sp. fue construido en un recipiente rectangular (30 cm x 50 cm x 35 cm), usando grava (0,5-1 cm) como medio de soporte. Se evaluó la remoción de DQO para tiempos de retención hidráulica de 4 y 7 días. Se obtuvo que el humedal fue capaz de remover 84% de DQO del efluente sintético cuando la concentración inicial fue de 4183 mg DQO/L, además para este tratamiento se obtuvo la mayor concentración de bacterias heterótrofas en la rizósfera. No se obtuvo diferencia entre los tiempos de retención hidráulica utilizados, por lo que se recomendó usar 4 días. Finalmente, en el humedal artificial se evidenció el establecimiento de bacterias heterótrofas en la rizósfera y sustrato, en mayor concentración que el agua, que pudieran estar ayudando en la remoción de DQO en dicho sistema.

The case of a southern European glacier disappearing under recent warming that survived Roman and Medieval warm periods

Mountain glaciers have generally experienced an accelerated retreat over the last three decades as a rapid response to current global warming. However, the response to previous warm periods in the Holocene is not well-described for glaciers of the of southern Europe mountain ranges, such as the Pyrenees. The situation during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (900-1300 CE) is particularly relevant since it is not certain whether the glaciers just experienced significant ice loss or whether they actually disappeared. We present here the first chronological study of a glacier located in the Central Pyrenees (N Spain), the Monte Perdido Glacier (MPG), carried out by different radiochronological techniques and their comparison with geochemical proxies with neighboring paleoclimate records. The result of the chronological model proves that the glacier endured during the Roman Period and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. The lack of ice from last 600 years indicates that the ice formed during the Little Ice Age has melted away. The analyses of the content of several metals of anthropogenic origin, such as Zn, Se, Cd, Hg, Pb, appear in low amounts in MPG ice, which further supports our age model in which the record from the industrial period is lost. This study confirms the exceptional warming of the last decades in the context of last two millennia. We demonstrate that we are facing an unprecedented retreat of the 55 Pyrenean glaciers which survival is compromised beyond a few decades

Santos Ovejero del Agua. Catedrático de la Facultad de Veterinaria y su relación con la de Biología de León

Santos Ovejero del Agua fue un personaje de una personalidad extraordinaria, sin cuya presencia sería difícil de entender la vida social, académica, universitaria y empresarial de la ciudad y provincia de León desde el final de la guerra civil hasta el final de los años 60. Nacido, criado y fallecido en León (1906-1983), suma un espíritu inquieto, bien formado, gran personalidad, de perfil internacional, que ostentó responsabilidades importantes en la vida pública universitaria de la ciudad y fue catedrático y decano de la Facultad de Veterinaria, un visionario de sus posibilidades de proyección social, que proporcionó las primeras claves para la ampliación de estudios universitarios en lo que después sería Facultad de Biología y pionero en la actividad industrial biotecnológica de la Sanidad Animal

Geodivulgar: Geología y Sociedad 2018

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasFALSEsubmitte

Inter-acciones: apuestas regionales de la investigación en comunicación

Transformación social, desarrollo y gestión de la comunicación en investigación; Educación y comunicación en procesos de transformación cultural; y Medios, convergencia y cibercultura. Además, responde a la pregunta: ¿qué líneas aborda la investigación en Comunicación Social desde la modalidad virtual y a distancia de UNIMINUTO? Lo anterior, con el objetivo de acoplar la investigación básica y aplicada desde el nivel de pregrado, en atención a los retos que afronta la formación del nuevo comunicador social con respecto al componente de investigación e innovación desde los semilleros de investigación; además, en consideración a que los semilleros son un espacio institucional para el fomento de la cultura investigativa institucional y de programas, propiciar la interacción entre la comunidad académica con miras al fortalecimiento de la excelencia académica, el desarrollo social y el progreso científico de la comunidad, así como la generación de la capacidad de trabajo en grupo, la interdisciplinariedad y el establecimiento de redes de investigación

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Geodivulgar: Geología y Sociedad

Con el lema “Geología para todos” el proyecto Geodivulgar: Geología y Sociedad apuesta por la divulgación de la Geología a todo tipo de público, incidiendo en la importancia de realizar simultáneamente una acción de integración social entre estudiantes y profesores de centros universitarios, de enseñanza infantil, primaria, de educación especial y un acercamiento con público con diversidad funcional

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

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

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