Neotectonic deformations in the fluvial relief of the Llanura Sur of Pinar del Río, Cuba

Las investigaciones neotectónicas se enfocan a la determinación de los movimientos tectónicos más recientes de la corteza terrestre y poseen un gran significado en el análisis geomorfológico de la estructura del relieve moderno. En las regiones relativamente llanas no siempre resulta fácil el reconocimiento de evidencias de las deformaciones neotectónicas en el relieve fluvial. Desde el punto de vista metodológico, quedó demostrada la eficiencia del empleo de los métodos geológicos, geomorfológicos y edafológicos, como la evaluación morfométrica del relieve, el análisis de anomalías del drenaje, el estudio de la distribución espacial de los complejos estratigráficos y de los sedimentos aluviales, y la espectrometría del canal de potasio en los mismos. Sus resultados destacaron la existencia de bloques longitudinales de tipo horst y graben, corroborando los resultados geofísicos y de perforaciones, así como la identificación de tres bloques transversales escalonados, de oeste a este, con amplitudes diferenciadas de los desplazamientos verticales del orden de 6 y 10 m. Los bloques centro-orientales (II y III) han experimentado una basculación tectónica sostenida, forzando la migración de la red fluvial en dirección suroeste, como lo evidencia la asimetría de las cuencas hidrográficas y la migración de los ríos en esa dirección. Finalmente, se pudo establecer que los ríos, en la parte axial de la llanura, muestran un patrón regional de inflexión horaria de sus cauces, asociado probablemente a movimientos neotectónicos decizalladura que se manifiestan a lo largo de la dislocación que constituye el límite meridional de la depresión Los Palacios

Susceptibility to rock landslides in the La Teresona-Zopilocalco Norte suburb of Toluca: assumptions for community development

Articulo Científico, Documento PDF, 17 PáginasEste trabajo se enfoca en el análisis de la susceptibilidad a los desprendimientos de rocas donde se consideran criterios litológicos, morfoestructurales y de ocupación y uso de la superficie. La integración de estas variables permitió revelar cinco niveles de susceptibilidad a los desprendimientos de rocas: muy baja, baja, media, alta y muy alta.Facultad de Geografía, UAEMe

Enfrentando los riesgos socionaturales

El objetivo del libro es comprender la magnitud de los Riesgos Socionaturales en México y Latinoamérica, para comprender el peligro que existe por algún tipo de desastre, ya sea inundaciones, sismos, remoción en masa, entre otros, además conocer qué medidas preventivas, correctivas y de contingencias existen para estar atentos ante alguna señal que la naturaleza esté enviando y así evitar alguna catástrofe. El libro se enfoca en los aspectos básicos de análisis de los peligros, escenarios de riesgo, vulnerabilidad y resiliencia, importantes para la gestión prospectiva o preventiva

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Evaluation of the potential expansiveness of soils in the Hermanos Cruz neighbourhood, Pinar del Rio, Cuba: a contribution to urban planning

Los suelos expansivos constituyen un peligro geológico, muchas veces desconocido para la población, que puede afectar a las edificaciones y las infraestructuras. Para evaluar esta problemática del suelo, es necesario conocer algunas de sus propiedades geotécnicas. Generalmente, en las metodologías diseñadas para este fin se emplean valores promedios de las propiedades de los suelos, de la formación geológica o grupo litológico, aspecto que conlleva una gran incertidumbre. Para superar este problema, en la investigación se propone un procedimiento para la estimación espacial y modelación de las principales propiedades del suelo que inciden en la evaluación de su expansividad. El caso de estudio seleccionado comprende la localidad Hermanos Cruz, perteneciente a la Ciudad de Pinar del Río en el occidente de Cuba. La investigación se organizó en las siguientes etapas: evaluación primaria del potencial de expansión de los suelos, modelación de propiedades de los suelos utilizando los métodos geoestadísticos en 3D y, finalmente, representación cartográfica del potencial de expansión de los suelos sobre plataforma SIG a profundidades del subsuelo con importancia en la construcción de las cimentaciones superficiales de las obras ingenieriles. La aplicación de este procedimiento al caso de estudio seleccionado reveló que los suelos del reparto Hermanos Cruz poseen un potencial de expansión bajo a medio y la existencia de sectores aislados con un potencial de expansión medio a alto. Expansive soils can be categorized as one of the geohazards observed in the urban environment, representing a silent hazard to buildings and infrastructure. To evaluate this problematic soil it is necessary to know some of its geotechnical properties. Generally, the average values of soil properties are used in the methods which characterize the geological formation and the lithological group, which causes a great degree of uncertainty. To overcome this problem, this study proposes a procedure for estimating and modelling the principle soil properties that have an impact on expansive soils. The selected case study is located in the Hermanos Cruz neighbourhood in the city of Pinar del Rio in Cuba. The investigation was organized into the following stages: primary assessment of the potential expansiveness of the soils, modelling of the soil properties utilizing 3D geostatistical methods and finally the cartographic representation of the potentialexpansiveness of soils on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform at different depth zones which are of importance in the construction of shallow foundations of engineering works. The application of this methodology in the Hermanos Cruz neighbourhood revealed that its soils possess a potential expansiveness of low to medium, apart from some isolated zones which show a potential expansiveness of medium to high

Coastal Morphodynamics at Playa Bailén, Southwestern Cuba, 2003-2013

En la actualidad, el análisis de los cambios morfodinámicos de las costas constituye una de las direcciones ambientales e ingenieriles de mayor significado para su planeación y su desarrollo sostenible, así como para la preservación y la protección de sus recursos naturales. Se presentan las tendencias morfodinámicas de la playa Bailén, localizada en la costa suroccidental de Cuba, entre los años 2003 y 2013. Se aplicaron mediciones topográficas del perfil transversal de playa y de la posición de la línea de costa en 15 estaciones de observación, a lo largo de 2 140 m de playa, en los años 2007, 2010 y 2013, comparadas con la posición del año 2003. Los volúmenes de arena acrecionada o erosionada en el período 2003-2007 fueron estimados después de los impactos del huracán Iván del año 2004. Finalmente, se realizaron ensayos granulométricos para establecer las tendencias espacio-temporales en el comportamiento del diámetro promedio de los granos de arena. Para el sector norte de la playa, la tasa máxima de retroceso fue de -2.0 m/año y los análisis granulométricos de las arenas demostraron enriquecimiento en su fracción gruesa. Ambos procesos reflejan la influencia directa de la inadecuada ubicación de las construcciones civiles en la porción frontal de las dunas y en la berma. Por otra parte, en el sector sur el valor máximo de acreción fue de +8.0 m/año y el promedio alcanzó +2.3 m/año. Durante los diez años analizados se observa un bajo nivel de resiliencia en la recuperación de la playa. Due to their geological nature, beaches are susceptible to changes over a relatively short period of time. Composed mainly of recently formed rocks, the scarcely consolidated structure of the substrate makes beaches vulnerable to the action of waves, tides, currents, wind, changes in sea level and human activity. Beach dynamics is marked by different degrees of fragility. In tropical regions, especially in the Caribbean, extreme hydro-meteorological phenomena such as hurricanes and cold fronts associated with extra-tropical storms significantly accelerate the erosion and accretion processes along the coast. The geographical location of the Cuban archipelago, at the margins of the Tropic of Cancer (its northernmost latitude is 27°17’ N), makes it susceptible to the combined action of hurricanes (between June and November) and cold fronts (between November and March). This very fact makes the study of coastal morphodynamic changes a subject of the utmost importance in sustainable-development projects and environmental planning, including the preservation of coastal natural resources. In Cuba, several authors have reported a coastal retreat of 1 to 3 m per year in western beaches, as well as an average loss of sand of about 50 000 m3 per year in the famous Varadero beach. The latter case is mainly due to the extraction of sand from the underwater platform between 1968 and 1978 for construction purposes. This paper addresses the morphodynamic processes taking place at Bailén beach, on the southwestern Cuban coast, as observed during a 10-year period, from 2003 to 2013. Transversal topographic measurements were taken at the beachfront and coastline at 15 observation stations along 2 140 m of beach in 2007, 2010 and 2013. These measurements were then compared to the data available for 2003. Estimated volumes of accreted and eroded sand for the period 2003-2007 indicate remarkable changes in beach morphology and evidence the vulnerability of coastal systems to extreme events, such as those unleashed by hurricane Ivan in 2004. The most important morphological changes observed included an increase of 0.20 to 0.50 m in dune height in some cases, and a decrease in others in the order of 0.15 to 0.40 m. Finally, granulometric tests were conducted to establish the spatial and temporal variations in the diameter of sand grains. To the north side of the beach, the maximum recession rate was 2.0 m per year, and sand grains were larger. Both measurements are indicative of the impact of buildings constructed at the front side of dunes and the beach berm on beach morphology. In the southern sector, on the other hand, the maximum accretion reached 8.0 m per year, whereas the average value was 2.3 m per year. During the 10 years of analysis, beach recovery has been characterized by a low resilience to the impact of hurricanes and other meteorological events. There is a clear spatial correlation between the inadequate location of buildings less than 30 meters from the shore on dunes and berms, where beach dynamics is most intense, and the development of intensive erosive processes, as observed in the northern sector of Bailén beach. The slow recovery of the initial coastline position translates into a steady increase in the average diameter of sediments. The low level of resilience in these beach stretches becomes even more evident when hydro-meteorological events occur. For beach recovery projects through local sand repositioning to be successful, the beachfront must be closely monitored, recording measurements of both sediment dynamics and the effects of wind and water on a transversal profile. Also, to ensure an effective regeneration of this natural resource, an average volume of sand per linear meter of beach must be established. Finally, the demolition of old buildings located at the berm and the front side of dunes, and the prohibition of further construction in these sites, should contribute to restore the morphodynamic balance of this beach and increase the quality of tourism services

Evaluación geomorfológica y del efecto de sitio como contribución a los estudios de peligrosidad sísmica a escala local: ciudad de San Cristóbal, Cuba occidental

Esta investigación se enfocó en la evaluación geomorfológica del relieve con el objetivo de revelar rasgos de la actividad tectónica reciente como paso previo a la evaluación del efecto de sitio en la ciudad de San Cristóbal, donde tuvo lugar un sismo de intensidad 8 MSK, en 1880. La evaluación geomorfológica del sector montañoso contiguo a la zona sismogénica más cercana, mostró evidencias sobre el carácter activo de la falla Pinar, mediante la aplicación de los indicadores de disección vertical del relieve, incisión fluvial, separación de cuencas, y profundidad y sinuosidad del frente montañoso. Los resultados permitieron clasificar los suelos en tres tipos según su respuesta sísmica y realizar un pronóstico de la variación de la intensidad macrosísmica en función de las características geotécnicas locales, lo cual constituye una herramienta de trabajo para futuros planes de ordenamiento urbano

Sitios potencialmente idóneos para el emplazamiento de plantas energéticas en la zona costera veracruzana: una evaluación geólogo-geomorfológica

Se aborda el aprovechamiento de energías provenientes del mar (oleaje y marea) desde una mirada geomorfológica.Una de las problemáticas contemporáneas para el desarrollo sostenible de la zona costera es precisamente alcanzar su manejo integrado y el uso optimizado de su territorio. Para ello, dado el carácter multifactorial de dicha zona, además del esfuerzo integrado entre todos los sectores económicos y la sociedad, la comunidad científica debe investigar múltiples aspectos relacionados con los problemas estructurales, funcionales y dinámicos de sus costas, los tipos de procesos costeros imperantes, sus ecosistemas y sus potencialidades energéticas desde la óptica de diversas fuentes alternativas

Effect of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation in Diabetic Kidney Disease: Results From the CREDENCE Trial and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chronic kidney disease with reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate or elevated albuminuria increases risk for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. This study assessed the effects of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on stroke and atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) from CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) and a meta-analysis of large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) of SGLT2i in type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODS: CREDENCE randomized 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease to canagliflozin or placebo. Post hoc, we estimated effects on fatal or nonfatal stroke, stroke subtypes, and intermediate markers of stroke risk including AF/AFL. Stroke and AF/AFL data from 3 other completed large CVOTs and CREDENCE were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis.RESULTS: In CREDENCE, 142 participants experienced a stroke during follow-up (10.9/1000 patient-years with canagliflozin, 14.2/1000 patient-years with placebo; hazard ratio [HR], 0.77 [95% CI, 0.55-1.08]). Effects by stroke subtypes were: ischemic (HR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.61-1.28]; n=111), hemorrhagic (HR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.19-1.32]; n=18), and undetermined (HR, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.20-1.46]; n=17). There was no clear effect on AF/AFL (HR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.53-1.10]; n=115). The overall effects in the 4 CVOTs combined were: total stroke (HRpooled, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.82-1.12]), ischemic stroke (HRpooled, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.89-1.14]), hemorrhagic stroke (HRpooled, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.30-0.83]), undetermined stroke (HRpooled, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.49-1.51]), and AF/AFL (HRpooled, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.71-0.93]). There was evidence that SGLT2i effects on total stroke varied by baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (P=0.01), with protection in the lowest estimated glomerular filtration rate (<45 mL/min/1.73 m2]) subgroup (HRpooled, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.31-0.79]).CONCLUSIONS: Although we found no clear effect of SGLT2i on total stroke in CREDENCE or across trials combined, there was some evidence of benefit in preventing hemorrhagic stroke and AF/AFL, as well as total stroke for those with lowest estimated glomerular filtration rate. Future research should focus on confirming these data and exploring potential mechanisms. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02065791

Kidney and Cardiovascular Effects of Canagliflozin According to Age and Sex: A Post Hoc Analysis of the CREDENCE Randomized Clinical Trial

Rationale & Objective: It is unclear whether the effect of canagliflozin on adverse kidney and cardiovascular events in those with diabetic kid-ney disease varies by age and sex. We assessed the effects of canagliflozin among age group categories and between sexes in the Canagli-flozin and Renal Endpoints in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) study.Study Design: Secondary analysis of a random-ized controlled trial. Setting & Participants: Participants in the CREDENCE trial. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to receive canagliflozin 100 mg/d or placebo.Outcomes: Primary composite outcome of kid-ney failure, doubling of serum creatinine con-centration, or death due to kidney or cardiovascular disease. Prespecified secondary and safety outcomes were also analyzed. Out-comes were evaluated by age at baseline (<60, 60-69, and >_70 years) and sex in the intention-to-treat population using Cox regression models.Results: The mean age of the cohort was 63.0 & PLUSMN; 9.2 years, and 34% were female. Older age and female sex were independently associ-ated with a lower risk of the composite of adverse kidney outcomes. There was no evidence that the effect of canagliflozin on the primary outcome (acomposite of kidney failure, a doubling of serum creatinine concentration, or death from kidney or cardiovascular causes) differed between age groups (HRs, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.52-0.87], 0.63 [0.4 8-0.82], and 0.89 [0.61-1.29] for ages <60, 60-69, and >_70 years, respectively; P = 0.3 for interaction) or sexes (HRs, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.5 4-0.95] and 0.69 [0.56-0.8 4] in women and men, respectively; P = 0.8 for interaction). No differences in safety outcomes by age group or sex were observed.Limitations: This was a post hoc analysis with multiple comparisons.Conclusions: Canagliflozin consistently reduced the relative risk of kidney events in people with diabetic kidney disease in both sexes and across age subgroups. As a result of greater background risk, the absolute reduction in adverse kidney outcomes was greater in younger participants.Funding: This post hoc analysis of the CREDENCE trial was not funded. The CREDENCE study was sponsored by Janssen Research and Development and was conducted collaboratively by the sponsor, an academic-led steering committee, and an academic research organization, George Clinical.Trial Registration: The original CREDENCE trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with study number NCT02065791