Urban sound quality: influence of audio-visual interactions on sound environment assessment

17 págs, 3 figuras.[EN] Some studies have proved that the perception of the environment is intersensorial. However, the studies focused on the evaluation of sound environment have been conducted without taking into account the influence of other sensorial information perceived in the environment. With the aim of analysing the incidence of the audio-visual interactions in the soundscape and how they affect the global assessment of the urban contexts, an experimental study was carried out on a sample of 313 subjects. The visual and auditory stimuli representing several urban environments were presented individually and combined. Their evaluation was made in a 7 point-scale of pleasantness. The results show that visual settings influence on the assessment of natural, technological and social sound environments. This interaction is significant and complex, depending on the pleasantness given to both visual and auditory stimuli. Results also emphasize that the global evaluation of urban environments depends on the audio-visual interactions.[ES] Diferentes estudios han comprobado que la percepción del medio es intersensorial. Sin embargo, los trabajos que analizan la respuesta de la población ante el ambiente sonoro no suelen contemplar la influencia de otras informaciones sensoriales del entorno en dicha respuesta. Con objeto de conocer la incidencia de las interacciones audiovisuales en la valoración del paisaje sonoro, así como en la evaluación global del ambiente urbano, se llevó a cabo un estudio experimental en el que participaron 313 sujetos. Los estímulos visuales y auditivos fueron presentados individualmente y combinados. Su evaluación se realizó en términos de agrado en una escala de 7 puntos. Los resultados muestran una incidencia de la imagen en la valoración de los diversos ambientes sonoros evaluados, tanto naturales como sociales y tecnológicos. Esta relación es significativa y compleja, dependiendo principalmente del nivel de agrado sentido en relación a ambos estímulos. Asimismo, se constató que la valoración global del ambiente depende de la interacción entre ambas informaciones, visuales y auditivas.Peer reviewe

Efecto del ruido de aviones en la población escolar

Contribuir a la evaluación de las posibles influencias que el nivel de ruido de aviones que soportan los escolares de la zona próxima al aeropuerto pueda tener en el rendimiento de una tarea de tipo intelectual. Evaluar las posibles variaciones del nivel de ansiedad como forma de reacción del organismo a este tipo de estimulación intensa. Investigar la posible influencia del ruido ambiente en la audición de los escolares sometidos a el durante un periódo de tiempo del orden de diez años. 334 sujetos (estudiantes de octavo de EGB), pertenecientes a tres escuelas cercanas al aeropuerto y dos escuelas de ambiente no ruidoso. Todas las demás características culturales, socioecónomicas, familiares, eran las mismas entre estos dos tipos de escuela. Grupo experimental (escuelas ruidosas): 69 mujeres y 98 varones; grupo de control (no ruidosas): 96 mujeres y 71 varones. Edad entre 14 y 16 años. Diseño experimental con un grupo experimental y un grupo de control y con test-retest de escala de estado-rasgo de ansiedad. Variables independiente: ruido (dos niveles: con ruido y sin ruido); sexo. Variables dependiente: rendimiento escolar; ansiedad. Variables controladas: edad (14-16 años); audición (se descartan sujetos con patología no imputable al ruido); nivel de conocimiento (octavo de EGB); nivel de inteligencia (se forman grupos homogéneos); lugar de realización de la prueba (en las aulas y bajo idénticas condiciones). Los niveles y ruido de las escuelas de la zona del aeropuerto se sitúan ampliamente por encima del nivel considerado adecuado para el desarrollo de las clases. Al comprobar el estado de audición se puede afirmar que, en general, el ruido de los aviones no ha tenido efecto clínico significativo sobre el umbral auditivo de los escolares de la zona del aeropuerto. El efecto ruido-rendimiento fue significativo a medida que aumentaba el tiempo de realización del trabajo, incidiendo en una disminución de la capacidad que les llevó a trabajar más lentamente. El rasgo de ansiedad no se ve influenciado por el nivel de ruido, no obstante, los resultados, aunque no son significativos, indican una tendencia mayor a aumentar el nivel de ansiedad en el grupo de ambiente ruidoso. De acuerdo con los estudios de otros autores como Carpenter (1962) y Hartley (1973) que indican que el ruido puede comportarse como un estimulante capaz de aumentar la eficacia y favorecer el rendimiento cuando la tarea es de corta duración, se observa en la primera parte del trabajo el grupo experimental mayor cantidad de aciertos-menor número de errores que el de control. En la segunda parte del trabajo, al aumentar la duración de la tarea, la cantidad de aciertos realizados por el grupo experimental fue significativamente menor que los realizados por el grupo de control, confirmando la hipótesis: menor rendimiento de los sujetos que trabajan en ambiente ruidoso.ES

Efecto del ruido de aviones en la población escolar

Fac. de PsicologíaTRUEProQuestpu

Smart occupational health and safety for a digital era and its place in smart and sustainable cities.

As innovative technologies emerge, there is a need to evolve the environments in which these technologies are used. The trend has shifted from considering technology as a support service towards making it the means for transforming all complex systems. Smart cities focus their development on the use of technology to transform every aspect of society and embrace the complexity of these transformations towards something leading to the well-being and safety of people inhabiting these cities. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an essential aspect to be considered in the design of a smart city and its digital ecosystems, however, it remains unconsidered in most smart city’s frameworks, despite the need for a specific space for smart OHS. This paper summarizes a 9-month process of generation of a value proposition for evolving the sector of OHS based on a value-map in whose creation several stakeholders have participated. They focused on identifying the products, the methods, the organizational structures and the technologies required to develop an updated, dynamic and robust prevention model focused on workers in smart and complex contexts, and to improve the organizations’ capability to guarantee safety even in the most changing, digital and disruptive settings. To assess the relevance and validity of this value-map, a study was carried out to match the set of its elements and its specific and conceptual products discovered, considering also the definition of the past needs and future trends of the sector that a set of renowned stakeholders and key opinion leaders (with mastery in OHS from several companies and industries) have recently defined for the decade of 2020. A prospective analysis of this match is presented, revealing that there is still an existing gap to be covered in the context of smart cities design: the explicit guarantee of safety for workers.post-print650 K

An implicit stabilized finite element method for the compressible Navier–Stokes equations using finite calculus

A new implicit stabilized formulation for the numerical solution of the compressible NavierStokes equations is presented. The method is based on the Finite Calculus (FIC) scheme using the Galerkin finite element method (FEM) on triangular grids. Via the FIC formulation, two stabilization terms, called streamline term and transverse term, are added to the original conservation equations in the space-time domain. The non-linear system of equations resulting from the spatial discretization is solved implicitly using a damped Newton method benefiting from the exact Jacobian matrix. The matrix system is solved at each iteration with a preconditioned GMRES method. The efficiency of the proposed stabilization technique is checked out in the solution of 2D inviscid and laminar viscous flow problems where appropriate solutions are obtained especially near the boundary layer and shock waves. The work presented here can be considered as a follow up of a previous work of the authors [24]. In that paper, the stabilized Galerkin FEM based on the FIC formulation was derived for the Euler equations together with an explicit scheme. In the present paper, the extension of this work to the Navier-Stokes equations using an implicit scheme is presented

Subclinical Endometritis in Dairy Cattle

Subclinical endometritis is recognized as a cause of poor reproductive performance in dairy cows. Inflammation of the endometrium persisting after postpartum uterine involution has been related with prolonged calving-conception intervals and low fertility in dairy cows. The subclinical nature of this condition makes it necessary in the use of endometrial cytology or biopsy for diagnosing it. There are some controversies among authors in relation to the postpartum period from which a physiological endometrial inflammation should be considered a pathological subclinical endometritis. Therefore, depending on the sampling period after calving, different studies establish a different degree of polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration as cutoff point to diagnose subclinical endometritis. Controversies also exist regarding the pathogenesis of the disease and its consequences on the fertility of dairy cattle. The aim of this chapter was to review the current knowledge on this uterine pathology

Non-criteria obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome: how different is from Sidney criteria? A single-center study

This study aims to compare the demographic characteristics, clinical features, serology, and fetal-maternal outcomes between women with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and those with non-criteria (NC)-APS and seronegative (SN)-APS. Two-hundred and sixty-three women with APS obstetric morbidity ever pregnant were included. Of those, 66 met the APS classification criteria, 140 were NC-APS, and 57 were SN-APS. Patients with other autoimmune diseases were excluded. Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) included early pregnancy loss, fetal death, preeclampsia, abruptio placentae, and preterm birth. The mean age of the study group was 33.6 ± 5.3 years, and patients were followed up for 129.5 ± 81.9 months. In the NC-APS group, 31 (22.1%) did not fulfill clinical and serological criteria (Subgroup A), 49 (35%) did meet clinical but not serologic criteria (Subgroup B), and 60 (42.9%) fulfilled the serologic criteria but not the clinical ones (Subgroup C). The cardiovascular risk burden was higher in the APS group, due to a higher proportion of smoking. Patients with criteria APS received more intensive treatment than patients in the other study groups. The addition of standard of care (SoC) treatment significantly improved live birth and decreased APO in all groups. Significant clinical differences were observed between the study groups. However, when treated with SoC, fetal-maternal outcomes were similar, with a significant improvement in live births and a decrease in APO. Risk stratification in patients with obstetric morbidity associated with APS can help individualize their treatment

Adjusted morbidity groups: Characteristics and comorbidities in patients with chronic conditions according to their risk level in Primary Care

Objetivos: Describir las características de los pacientes crónicos según el nivel de riesgo asignado por los grupos de morbilidad ajustados (GMA). Analizar los factores asociados al nivel de riesgo alto y estudiar el efecto de cada uno de ellos. Dise˜no: Estudio observacional descriptivo transversal con enfoque analítico. Emplazamiento: Atención Primaria (AP). Servicio Madrile˜no de Salud. Participantes: Población de 18.107 pacientes estratificados por los GMA integrados en la historia clínica electrónica de AP de la Comunidad de Madrid. Mediciones principales: Variables sociodemográficas, clínico-asistenciales y de uso de servicios. Se realizó análisis univariado, bivariado y multivariante. Resultados: De los 18.107 pacientes se identificaron 9.866 (54,4%) pacientes crónicos, 444 (4,5%) estratificados como de alto riesgo, 1.784 (18,1%) como de medio riesgo y 7.638 (77,4%) como de bajo riesgo. Los de alto riesgo, comparados con medio y bajo riesgo, tenían una edad media mayor (77,8 [12,9]; 72,1 [12,9]; 50,6 [19,4]), menor porcentaje de mujeres (52,3%, 65%, 61,1%), mayor número de enfermedades crónicas (6,7 [2,4]; 4,3 [1,5]; 1,9 [1,1]), polimedicación (79,1%, 43,3%, 6,2%) y contactos con AP (33,9 [28]; 21,4 [17,3]; 7,9 [9,9]) (p < 0,01). En el multivariante el nivel de riesgo alto se relacionó de manera independiente con la edad > 65 (OR = 1,43; IC 95% = 1,03-1,99), sexo masculino (OR = 3,46; IC 95% = 2,64-4,52), inmovilidad (OR = 6,33; IC 95% = 4,40-9,11), número de enfermedades crónicas (OR = 2,60; IC 95% = 2,41-2,81) (p < 0,01) y número de contactos con AP > 7 (OR = 1,95; IC 95% = 1,36-2,80). Conclusiones: Más de la mitad de la población fue clasificada por los GMA como crónica, y se estratificó en 3 niveles de riesgo que presentaban diferencias en sexo, edad, deterioro funcional, necesidad de cuidados, morbilidad, complejidad, polifarmacia y contactos con AP. La edad > 65, el sexo masculino, la inmovilidad, el número de enfermedades crónicas y los contactos con AP > 7 fueron los factores asociados al alto riesgo.Aims: To describe the characteristics of patients with chronic conditions according to their risk levels assigned by the adjusted morbidity groups (AMG). To analyse the factors associated with a high risk level and to study their effect. Design: Observational cross-sectional study with an analytical focus. Location: Primary care (PC), Madrid Health Service. Participants: Population of 18,107 patients stratified by their risk levels with the AMG in the computerised clinical records of Madrid PC. Main measurements: The variables studied were: socio-demographic, clinical-nursing care and use of services. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis were performed. Results: Of the 18,107 patients, 9,866(54.4%) were identified as chronic patients, with 444 (4.5%) stratified as high risk, 1784 (18,1%) as medium risk, and 7,638 (77.4%) as low risk. The high risk patients, compared with medium and low risk, had an older mean age [77.8 (SD = 12.9), 72.1 (SD = 12.9), 50.6 (SD = 19.4)], lower percentage of women (52.3%, 65%, 61.1%), a higher number of chronic diseases [6.7 (SD = 2.4), 4.3 (SD = 1.5), 1.9 (SD = 1.1)], polymedication (79.1%, 43.3%, 6.2%), and contact with PC [33.9 (28), 21.4 (17.3), 7.9 (9.9)] (P <. 01). In the multivariate analysis, the high risk level was independently related to age > 65 [1.43 (1.03-1.99), male gender (OR = 3.46, 95% CI = 2.64-4.52), immobility (OR = 6.33, 95% CI = 4.40-9.11), number of chronic conditions (OR = 2.60, 95% CI = 2.41-2.81), and PC contact > 7 times (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.36- 2.80)] (P < .01). Conclusions: More than half of the population is classified by the AMG as a chronic, and it is stratified into 3 risk levels that show differences in gender, age, functional impairment, need for care, morbidity, complexity, and use of Primary Care services. Age > 65, male gender, immobility, number of chronic conditions, and contact with PC > 7 times were the factors associated with high risk

Influence of subclinical endometritis on the reproductive performance of dairy cows

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of subclinical endometritis (SE) on the reproductive performance of dairy cows. Ninety-four dairy cows of parity 1 to 8, distributed in 25 herds, were examined once between 30 and 45 days in milk using transrectal palpation, vaginoscopy and ultrasonography. A cytological sample of the endometrium was taken only from cows with an apparent healthy uterus (n=65). Serum glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, total proteins, albumin, urea and hepatic enzymes were analyzed. Reproductive indexes were recorded during the next 11 months. Endometrial cytology was considered indicative of SE if percentage of polymorphonuclear neutrophils was superior to 5% of all cells present in the smear, except erythrocytes. Results indicated that 14.9% of the cows sampled for uterine cytology had SE, and that healthy cows become pregnant significantly before than those with SE (hazard ratio=2.35; 95% confidece interval: 1.05-5.3). From all the metabolic and productive variables analyzed, only triglycerides affected negatively to reproduction; serum albumin concentration, body condition score and milk production had positive effects on the reproductive performance. In conclusion, our results indicate that SE has a negative impact on reproductive performance and uterine cytology is necessary to diagnose it since almost 15% of the affected animals were not detected by other diagnosis methodsXunta de Galicia (Programa Sectorial de Medio Rural, Proyecto Ref. PGIDIT07MRU002E) and FEFRIGA, Santiago de Compostela, SpainS

Duración del período gestacional en la raza rubia gallega

Se realizó un estudio sobre la duración de la gestación en la raza bovina Rubia Gallega explotada en sistemas de producción tradicional en la provincia de Lugo. Así mismo se valoraron distintos factores que pueden afectar, en mayor o menor medida, a la duración de este parámetro. La duración de la gestación en esta raza fue de 291,41 días comprobando que se ha producido un notable incremento de la misma en los últimos años, probablemente debido a la selección genética a la que ha sido sometida. Se comprobó que la edad de la vaca, el genotipo fetal, el sexo de la cría y la estación de parto condicionan, en mayor o menor medida, la magnitud de este parámetr