High-Speed Rail Versus Air Transportation: Case Study of Madrid–Barcelona, Spain.

Travel time savings, better quality of the supplied services, greater comfort for the users, and improved accessibility are the main factors of success of High Speed Rail(HSR)links. This paper presents the results from a revealed and stated preference survey conducted to both HSR and air transport users in the Madrid Barcelona corridor. The data gathered from the stated preference survey was used to calibrate a modal choice model aiming at explaining competition between HSR and air transportation in the corridor. From the model, the authors obtain that prices and service frequency are the most important variables to compete with the other mode. In addition, they found that check-in and security controls at the airport are a crucial variable for the users in their modal choice. Other policies, such as the improvement of parking facilities at the train stations, play a secondary role

THE CONODONTS FROM THE EL HÍGADO FORMATION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWL-EDGE OF METAMORPHISM AND ORDOVICIAN PALEOGEOGRAPHY IN THE CENTRAL CORDILLERA OF COLOMBIA

En la Formación El Hígado aforante en la vertiente oriental de la Serranía de Las Minas, a 9.5 km al NW del municipio de Tarqui (Departamento del Huila), se encontró en su miembro inferior, en niveles de caliza bioclástica formados por acumulaciones lumaquélicas de braquiópodos rinconeliformes, una asociación de conodontos del Ordovícico Medio, junto con microelementos reelaborados del Ordovícico Inferior y Medio basal. El conjunto involucra una mezcla tafonómica de dos o más horizontes ordovícicos. Las formas más antiguas son de edad Tremadociano (biozonas de Paltodus deltifer a Paroistodus proteus). El rango de la asociación más moderna abarca las biozonas de Lenodus variabilis a Eoplacognathus suecicus y es de edad Darriwiliano. Otras formas retrabajadas parecen sugerir asociaciones adicionales de edades Floiano, Piso Tercero y Darriwiliano basal. El descubrimiento de estos conodontos implica que el Tremadociano llegó a depositarse en esta zona y fue erosionado prácticamente in situ en tiempos arenigianos, por lo que el Terreno Chibcha ya quedaría adyacente por aquél entonces a la cuenca pericratónica del este de Colombia. El índice de alteración del color de los co-nodontos (CAI), con valores 2 a 4, descarta el metamorfsmo regional de la Formación El Hígado, afectada localmente por hidrotermalismo (CAI 6).   Palabras clave: Conodontos, Ordovícico, Cordillera Central de Colombia, Metamorfsmo, Paleogeografía      Conodonts are rare fossils in northern South America, and this work reports their frst occurrence in the Ordovician of Colombia. The studied sample come from a thin brachiopod coquina interstratifed in storm-generated sandstone deposits, 20 m above the base of the El Hígado Formation (Darriwilian) in its type section in the Central Cordillera. The conodont assemblage contains fairly well preserved elements with different states of mechanical fragmentation, corrosion and even bacterial alteration. CAI values are between 2 and 6, in absence of regional metamorphism and with evidence of local hydrothermalism. The sample involved a taphonomic mixture of two or more Ordovician horizons. The older conodont assemblage is of Tremadocian age and range from the Paltodus deltifer to the Paroistodus proteus conodont biozones. The youngest assemblage range through the Lenodus variabilis and Eoplacognathus suecicus conodont biozones and is of Darriwilian age. A number of reworked conodont taxa seem to suggest additional assemblages of Floian, Third Stage and lowest Darriwilian intermediate ages. The studied conodonts indicate the existence of older and previously unknown Ordovician sedimentation in Central Colombia, where reworked specimens were probably winnowed from condensed successions ranging from the lower Tremadocian to the lower Darriwilian, and are indicative of a pre-Ordovician accretion fro the Chibcha terrane.   Key words: Conodonts, Ordovician, Central Cordillera of Colombia, Metamorphism, Palaeogeography.   &nbsp

Phytosanitary certification of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT germplasm health laboratory

Plant Health 2022, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. August 6-10, 2022

Flipped Classroom educational innovation experience in a Master in Energy Engineering subject

En este trabajo se describe la experiencia de innovación llevada a cabo en la asignatura de Exergía, Termoeconomía y Cogeneración del Máster Universitario en Ingeniería Energética de la Universidad de Oviedo durante el curso 2019/2020. Los resultados de aprendizaje mostraban que parte del potencial del estudiantado se encontraba desaprovechado, por lo que se detectó la necesidad de conseguir un mejor aprovechamiento de las clases presenciales. Con este objetivo, se desarrolló un Proyecto de Innovación Docente basado en una metodología de aula invertida y de aprendizaje colaborativo, en el que los alumnos preparaban una serie de contenidos antes de acudir al aula para luego trabajar de forma colaborativa en la misma. Con dicho Proyecto, se ha conseguido mejorar sustancialmente los resultados de aprendizaje, así como lograr un mayor grado de satisfacción del estudiantado respecto a la asignatura y la metodología docente empleada. Las interacciones en el aula han mejorado notablemente y la confianza de los estudiantes en sí mismos y su conocimiento se ha reforzado. Finalmente, se recoge una autoevaluación de la mejora implementada, así como posibles propuestas para el futuro. La principal es la continuación de la mejora en el curso siguiente para poder evaluar su consolidación.This work describes the innovation experience performed in the subject Exergy, Thermoeconomy and Cogeneration of the Master in Energy Engineering of the University of Oviedo during the year 2019/2020. After reviewing the learning results of the students and realizing that part of their potential was being lost, the necessity of improving the time management in the classroom was identified. With this aim, a Teaching Innovation Project based on a flipped classroom and collaborative learning methodology was developed, in which the students prepared a series of contents at home, before coming to class, to work collaboratively afterwards in the classroom. With this Project, the learning results have been substantially improved. Additionally, the students feel more satisfied about the subject and the teaching methodology employed. The classroom interactions have noticeably improved and the self-confidence of students on themselves and their knowledge has been reinforced. Finally, a self-assessment of the implemented improvement has been performed and future proposals have been outlined. The main proposal is to continue the implemented improvement next term to evaluate its consolidation

Predicting Survival after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Myelofibrosis : Performance of the Myelofibrosis Transplant Scoring System (MTSS) and Development of a New Prognostic Model

Accurate prognostic tools are crucial to assess the risk/benefit ratio of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in patients with myelofibrosis (MF). We aimed to evaluate the performance of the Myelofibrosis Transplant Scoring System (MTSS) and identify risk factors for survival in a multicenter series of 197 patients with MF undergoing allo-HCT. After a median follow-up of 3.1 years, 47% of patients had died, and the estimated 5-year survival rate was 51%. Projected 5-year risk of nonrelapse mortality and relapse incidence was 30% and 20%, respectively. Factors independently associated with increased mortality were a hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) ≥3 and receiving a graft from an HLA-mismatched unrelated donor or cord blood, whereas post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) was associated with improved survival. Donor type was the only parameter included in the MTSS model with independent prognostic value for survival. According to the MTSS, 3-year survival was 62%, 66%, 37%, and 17% for low-, intermediate-, high-, and very high-risk groups, respectively. By pooling together the low- and intermediate-risk groups, as well as the high- and very high-risk groups, we pinpointed 2 categories: standard risk and high risk (25% of the series). Three-year survival was 62% in standard-risk and 25% in high-risk categories (P <.001). We derived a risk score based on the 3 independent risk factors for survival in our series (donor type, HCT-CI, and PT-Cy). The corresponding 5-year survival for the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories was 79%, 55%, and 32%, respectively (P <.001). In conclusion, the MTSS model failed to clearly delineate 4 prognostic groups in our series but may still be useful to identify a subset of patients with poor outcome. We provide a simple prognostic scoring system for risk/benefit considerations before transplantation in patients with MF

Generating fuzzy rules by learning from olive tree transpiration measurement - An algorithm to automatize Granier sap flow data analysis

The present study aims at developing an intelligent system of automating data analysis and prediction embedded in a fuzzy logic algorithm (FAUSY) to capture the relationship between environmental variables and sap flow measurements (Granier method). Environmental thermal gradients often interfere with Granier sap flow measurements since this method uses heat as a tracer, thus introducing a bias in transpiration flux calculation. The FAUSY algorithm is applied to solve measurement problems and provides an approximate and yet effective way of finding the relationship between the environmental variables and the natural temperature gradient (NTG), which is too complex or too ill-defined for precise mathematical analysis. In the process, FAUSY extracts the relationships from a set of input–output environmental observations, thus general directions for algorithm-based machine learning in fuzzy systems are outlined. Through an iterative procedure, the algorithm plays with the learning or forecasting via a simulated model. After a series of error control iterations, the outcome of the algorithm may become highly refined and be able to evolve into a more formal structure of rules, facilitating the automation of Granier sap flow data analysis. The system presented herein simulates the occurrence of NTG with reasonable accuracy, with an average residual error of 2.53% for sap flux rate, when compared to data processing performed in the usual way. For practical applications, this is an acceptable margin of error given that FAUSY could correct NTG errors up to an average of 76% of the normal manual correction process. In this sense, FAUSY provides a powerful and flexible way of establishing the relationships between the environment and NTG occurrencesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modifiable risk factors associated with prediabetes in men and women: A cross-sectional analysis of the cohort study in primary health care on the evolution of patients with prediabetes

Background: Prediabetes is a high-risk state for diabetes development, but little is known about the factors associated with this state. The aim of the study was to identify modifiable risk factors associated with the presence of prediabetes in men and women. Methods: Cohort Study in Primary Health Care on the Evolution of Patients with Prediabetes (PREDAPS-Study) is a prospective study on a cohort of 1184 subjects with prediabetes and another cohort of 838 subjects without glucose metabolism disorders. It is being conducted by 125 general practitioners in Spain. Data for this analysis were collected during the baseline stage in 2012. The modifiable risk factors included were: smoking habit, alcohol consumption, low physical activity, inadequate diet, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity. To assess independent association between each factor and prediabetes, odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using logistic regression models. Results: Abdominal obesity, low plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), and hypertension were independently associated with the presence of prediabetes in both men and women. After adjusting for all factors, the respective ORs (95% Confidence Intervals) were 1.98 (1.41-2.79), 1.88 (1.23-2.88) and 1.86 (1.39-2.51) for men, and 1.89 (1.36-2.62), 1.58 (1.12-2.23) and 1.44 (1.07-1.92) for women. Also, general obesity was a risk factor in both sexes but did not reach statistical significance among men, after adjusting for all factors. Risky alcohol consumption was a risk factor for prediabetes in men, OR 1.49 (1.00-2.24). Conclusions: Obesity, low HDL-cholesterol levels, and hypertension were modifiable risk factors independently related to the presence of prediabetes in both sexes. The magnitudes of the associations were stronger for men than women. Abdominal obesity in both men and women displayed the strongest association with prediabetes. The findings suggest that there are some differences between men and women, which should be taken into account when implementing specific recommendations to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes in adult population

Consenso colombiano de atención, diagnóstico y manejo de la infección por SARS-COV-2/COVID-19 en establecimientos de atención de la salud Recomendaciones basadas en consenso de expertos e informadas en la evidencia

The “Asociación Colombiana de Infectología” (ACIN) and the “Instituto de Evaluación de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Salud” (IETS) created a task force to develop recommendations for Covid 19 health care diagnosis, management and treatment informed, and based, on evidence. Theses reccomendations are addressed to the health personnel on the Colombian context of health services. © 2020 Asociacion Colombiana de Infectologia. All rights reserved