Estrategias de conservación para Cotoneaster granatensis (Rosaceae), especie catalogada En Peligro de Extinción en la Comunitat Valenciana (España)

Cotoneaster granatensis (Rosaceae) is an endangered species in the Valencian Community with two natural populations known and 37 wild plants located in Alicante province. The strategy applied for conservation of this species comprises three steps in a cyclical method: in situ (first step) - ex situ - in situ (second step). Current conservation status for this species has been evaluated as a part of the first step in situ actions. Ex situ conservation activities consisted of germplasm conservation on seed banks, creation and maintenance of collections of livings plants and production of new plants in order to develop reintroductions (in situ actions: second step) in natural populations. The seed germination is a complex issue, but an effective protocol has been established reaching values over 60% of germination. The plant propagation by cuttings has not been successful. In situ actions such as reducing the threat of herbivory has been also essential to enhance natural populations. The initial results on plantations in the natural habitat show high survival rates of specimens

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369

Effect of local cut-out on fatigue strength assessment in ship structures

The aim of the work is to evaluate different design alternatives to obtain criteria for the selection of the most effective design by fatigue strength assessment of the local cut-out as a result of the connection between the longitudinal or ordinary stiffener and the transverse web frame (longi-web) in the side hull structure (upper wing torsional box), very important area due to its high stress concentration, of a container vessel, one of the most important ships in terms of its influence on the world economy. Structural solutions and design guidelines are established, by means of numerical models validated by experimental tests, which allow alternative designs to be obtained that improve their fatigue behaviour. Standard cut-out geometries are studied under the presence of different variables (radius of curvature, longitudinal spacing, longitudinal stiffener cross-section, and flange arrangement) that are evaluated to determine their effect in the structural assessment (fatigue damage, stress concentration, and fracture mechanics) and the weight comparison between alternatives

A Comparative Study of the Wavenet PID Controllers for Applications in Non-Linear Systems

International audienceno abstrac

A Comparative Study of the Wavenet PID Controllers for Applications in Non-Linear Systems

International audienceno abstrac

Health-related quality of life and mortality in the ‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ prospective cohort study

Objective: To study the association between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and all-cause mortality in a healthy middle-aged Mediterranean cohort. Methods: We included 15,390 participants –mean age 42.8 years at first HRQoL ascertainment, all university graduates–. HRQoL was assessed with the self-administered Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) twice, with a 4-year gap. We used multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models to address the relation between self-reported health and Physical or Mental Component Summary (PCS-36 or MCS-36) and mortality, and their interaction with prior comorbidities or adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet). Results: Over 8.7 years of median follow-up time, 266 deaths were identified. Hazard ratio (HR) for the excellent vs. poor/fair category in self-reported health was 0.30 (95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.16–0.57) in the model with repeated measurements of HRQoL. Both the PCS-36 (HRquartile4(Q4)vs.Q1 0.57 [95%CI, 0.36–0.90], ptrend < 0.001; HRper+10points: 0.64 [95%CI, 0.54–0.75]) and the MCS-36 (HRQ4vs.Q1 0.67 [95%CI, 0.46–0.97], ptrend = 0.025; HRper+10points: 0.86 [95%CI, 0.74–0.99]) were inversely associated with mortality in the model with repeated measurements of HRQoL. Previous comorbidities or adherence to the MedDiet did not modify these associations. Conclusions: Self-reported HRQoL –assessed as self-reported health, PCS-36 and MCS-36– obtained with the Spanish version of the SF-36 were inversely associated with mortality risk, regardless of the presence of previous comorbidities or adherence to the MedDiet