Aprovechamiento de la ceniza de cáscara de arroz para la elaboración de hormigones

Este trabajo se encuadra en el marco del proyecto conjunto de investigación “Produgáo de concreto estrutural com cinza de casca de arroz “in natura”, sem beneficiamento”, que se está desarrollando entre el Centro de Tecnología, Departamento de Estruturas e Construgáo Civil (GEPECON/UFSM Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brasil), la Universidad de la República (UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay) y el LEMIT-CIC, como parte del Programa PROSUL (Programa Sul-Americano de Apoio ás Atividades de Cooperagáo em Ciencia e Tecnología). En este artículo se describe la relevancia del problema, los objetivos y etapas del proyecto y se presentan los primeros resultados experimentales obtenidos en LEMIT destinados al ajuste de mezclas. Se incluyen resultados de resistencia sobre hormigones con diferentes relaciones agua/ligante elaborados con contenidos variables de cenizas de cáscara de arroz. Se comparan cenizas empleadas en estado natural (sin moler) con las mismas cenizas previamente molidas, que es el procedimiento tradicionalmente utilizado para incrementar su actividad puzolánica.This work is part of a research project “Produgáo de concreto estrutural com cinza de casca de arroz “in natura”, sem beneficiamento” that is being developed between the Centro de Tecnología, Departamento de Estruturas e Construgao Civil (GEPECON/UFSM Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brasil), Universidad de la República (UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay) and LEMIT-CIC, as part of the program PROSUL (Programa Sul- Americano de Apoio ás Atividades de Cooperagao em Ciéncia e Tecnología). This article presents the relevance of the problem, the different steps to be developed and the objectives of the project, together with the first experimental results obtained in the LEMIT regarding mixture adjustments. The results of compressive strength of concretes made with different water/binder ratios and variable contents of rice husk ash are included. There is also a comparison between ashes used in their natural state (without mill) with the same ashes previously milled, which is the traditional procedure used to increase their pozzolanic activity

Aprovechamiento de la ceniza de cáscara de arroz para la elaboración de hormigones

Este trabajo se encuadra en el marco del proyecto conjunto de investigación “Produgáo de concreto estrutural com cinza de casca de arroz “in natura”, sem beneficiamento”, que se está desarrollando entre el Centro de Tecnología, Departamento de Estruturas e Construgáo Civil (GEPECON/UFSM Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brasil), la Universidad de la República (UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay) y el LEMIT-CIC, como parte del Programa PROSUL (Programa Sul-Americano de Apoio ás Atividades de Cooperagáo em Ciencia e Tecnología). En este artículo se describe la relevancia del problema, los objetivos y etapas del proyecto y se presentan los primeros resultados experimentales obtenidos en LEMIT destinados al ajuste de mezclas. Se incluyen resultados de resistencia sobre hormigones con diferentes relaciones agua/ligante elaborados con contenidos variables de cenizas de cáscara de arroz. Se comparan cenizas empleadas en estado natural (sin moler) con las mismas cenizas previamente molidas, que es el procedimiento tradicionalmente utilizado para incrementar su actividad puzolánica.This work is part of a research project “Produgáo de concreto estrutural com cinza de casca de arroz “in natura”, sem beneficiamento” that is being developed between the Centro de Tecnología, Departamento de Estruturas e Construgao Civil (GEPECON/UFSM Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brasil), Universidad de la República (UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay) and LEMIT-CIC, as part of the program PROSUL (Programa Sul- Americano de Apoio ás Atividades de Cooperagao em Ciéncia e Tecnología). This article presents the relevance of the problem, the different steps to be developed and the objectives of the project, together with the first experimental results obtained in the LEMIT regarding mixture adjustments. The results of compressive strength of concretes made with different water/binder ratios and variable contents of rice husk ash are included. There is also a comparison between ashes used in their natural state (without mill) with the same ashes previously milled, which is the traditional procedure used to increase their pozzolanic activity.Facultad de IngenieríaLaboratorio de Entrenamiento Multidisciplinario para la Investigación Tecnológic

Aprovechamiento de la ceniza de cáscara de arroz para la elaboración de hormigones

Este trabajo se encuadra en el marco del proyecto conjunto de investigación “Produgáo de concreto estrutural com cinza de casca de arroz “in natura”, sem beneficiamento”, que se está desarrollando entre el Centro de Tecnología, Departamento de Estruturas e Construgáo Civil (GEPECON/UFSM Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brasil), la Universidad de la República (UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay) y el LEMIT-CIC, como parte del Programa PROSUL (Programa Sul-Americano de Apoio ás Atividades de Cooperagáo em Ciencia e Tecnología). En este artículo se describe la relevancia del problema, los objetivos y etapas del proyecto y se presentan los primeros resultados experimentales obtenidos en LEMIT destinados al ajuste de mezclas. Se incluyen resultados de resistencia sobre hormigones con diferentes relaciones agua/ligante elaborados con contenidos variables de cenizas de cáscara de arroz. Se comparan cenizas empleadas en estado natural (sin moler) con las mismas cenizas previamente molidas, que es el procedimiento tradicionalmente utilizado para incrementar su actividad puzolánica.This work is part of a research project “Produgáo de concreto estrutural com cinza de casca de arroz “in natura”, sem beneficiamento” that is being developed between the Centro de Tecnología, Departamento de Estruturas e Construgao Civil (GEPECON/UFSM Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brasil), Universidad de la República (UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay) and LEMIT-CIC, as part of the program PROSUL (Programa Sul- Americano de Apoio ás Atividades de Cooperagao em Ciéncia e Tecnología). This article presents the relevance of the problem, the different steps to be developed and the objectives of the project, together with the first experimental results obtained in the LEMIT regarding mixture adjustments. The results of compressive strength of concretes made with different water/binder ratios and variable contents of rice husk ash are included. There is also a comparison between ashes used in their natural state (without mill) with the same ashes previously milled, which is the traditional procedure used to increase their pozzolanic activity.Facultad de IngenieríaLaboratorio de Entrenamiento Multidisciplinario para la Investigación Tecnológic

Farmland biodiversity and agricultural management on 237 farms in 13 European and two African regions

Farmland is a major land cover type in Europe and Africa and provides habitat for numerous species. The severe decline in farmland biodiversity of the last decades has been attributed to changes in farming practices, and organic and low-input farming are assumed to mitigate detrimental effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity. Since the farm enterprise is the primary unit of agricultural decision making, management-related effects at the field scale need to be assessed at the farm level. Therefore, in this study, data were collected on habitat characteristics, vascular plant, earthworm, spider, and bee communities and on the corresponding agricultural management in 237 farms in 13 European and two African regions. In 15 environmental and agricultural homogeneous regions, 6–20 farms with the same farm type (e.g., arable crops, grassland, or specific permanent crops) were selected. If available, an equal number of organic and non-organic farms were randomly selected. Alternatively, farms were sampled along a gradient of management intensity. For all selected farms, the entire farmed area was mapped, which resulted in total in the mapping of 11 338 units attributed to 194 standardized habitat types, provided together with additional descriptors. On each farm, one site per available habitat type was randomly selected for species diversity investigations. Species were sampled on 2115 sites and identified to the species level by expert taxonomists. Species lists and abundance estimates are provided for each site and sampling date (one date for plants and earthworms, three dates for spiders and bees). In addition, farmers provided information about their management practices in face-to-face interviews following a standardized questionnaire. Farm management indicators for each farm are available (e.g., nitrogen input, pesticide applications, or energy input). Analyses revealed a positive effect of unproductive areas and a negative effect of intensive management on biodiversity. Communities of the four taxonomic groups strongly differed in their response to habitat characteristics, agricultural management, and regional circumstances. The data has potential for further insights into interactions of farmland biodiversity and agricultural management at site, farm, and regional scale

"Delirium Day": A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 ± 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys

Statins, ACE/ARBs drug use, and risk of pneumonia in hospitalized older patients: a retrospective cohort study

: The aims of this study is to evaluate the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I), angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARBs) and/or statin use with the risk of pneumonia, as well as and with in-hospital and short-term outpatient mortality in hospitalized older patients with pneumonia. Patients aged 65 years or older hospitalized in internal medicine and/or geriatric wards throughout Italy and enrolled in the REPOSI (REgistro Politerapuie SIMI-Società Italiana di Medicina Interna) register from 2010 to 2019 were screened to assess the diagnosis of pneumonia and classified on whether or not they were prescribed with at least one drug among ACE-I, ARBs, and/or statins. Further study outcomes were mortality during hospital stay and at 3 months after hospital discharge. Among 5717 cases included (of whom 18.0% with pneumonia), 2915 (51.0%) were prescribed at least one drug among ACE-I, ARBs, and statins. An inverse association was found between treatment with ACE-I or ARBs and pneumonia (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.65-0.95). A higher effect was found among patients treated with ACE-I or ARBs in combination with statins (OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.52-0.85). This study confirmed in the real-world setting that these largely used medications may reduce the risk of pneumonia in older people, who chronically take them for cardiovascular conditions

Understanding Factors Associated With Psychomotor Subtypes of Delirium in Older Inpatients With Dementia

Objectives: Few studies have analyzed factors associated with delirium subtypes. In this study, we investigate factors associated with subtypes of delirium only in patients with dementia to provide insights on the possible prevention and treatments. Design: This is a cross-sectional study nested in the \u201cDelirium Day\u201d study, a nationwide Italian point-prevalence study. Setting and Participants: Older patients admitted to 205 acute and 92 rehabilitation hospital wards. Measures: Delirium was evaluated with the 4-AT and the motor subtypes with the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale. Dementia was defined by the presence of a documented diagnosis in the medical records and/or prescription of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine prior to admission. Results: Of the 1057 patients with dementia, 35% had delirium, with 25.6% hyperactive, 33.1% hypoactive, 34.5% mixed, and 6.7% nonmotor subtype. There were higher odds of having venous catheters in the hypoactive (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.18-2.81) and mixed type of delirium (OR 2.23, CI 1.43-3.46), whereas higher odds of urinary catheters in the hypoactive (OR 2.91, CI 1.92-4.39), hyperactive (OR 1.99, CI 1.23-3.21), and mixed types of delirium (OR 2.05, CI 1.36-3.07). We found higher odds of antipsychotics both in the hyperactive (OR 2.87, CI 1.81-4.54) and mixed subtype (OR 1.84, CI 1.24-2.75), whereas higher odds of antibiotics was present only in the mixed subtype (OR 1.91, CI 1.26-2.87). Conclusions and Implications: In patients with dementia, the mixed delirium subtype is the most prevalent followed by the hypoactive, hyperactive, and nonmotor subtype. Motor subtypes of delirium may be triggered by clinical factors, including the use of venous and urinary catheters, and the use of antipsychotics. Future studies are necessary to provide further insights on the possible pathophysiology of delirium in patients with dementia and to address the optimization of the management of potential risk factors

Drug Prescription and Delirium in Older Inpatients: Results From the Nationwide Multicenter Italian Delirium Day 2015-2016

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between polypharmacy and delirium, the association of specific drug categories with delirium, and the differences in drug-delirium association between medical and surgical units and according to dementia diagnosis. Methods: Data were collected during 2 waves of Delirium Day, a multicenter delirium prevalence study including patients (aged 65 years or older) admitted to acute and long-term care wards in Italy (2015-2016); in this study, only patients enrolled in acute hospital wards were selected (n = 4,133). Delirium was assessed according to score on the 4 "A's" Test. Prescriptions were classified by main drug categories; polypharmacy was defined as a prescription of drugs from 5 or more classes. Results: Of 4,133 participants, 969 (23.4%) had delirium. The general prevalence of polypharmacy was higher in patients with delirium (67.6% vs 63.0%, P =.009) but varied according to clinical settings. After adjustment for confounders, polypharmacy was associated with delirium only in patients admitted to surgical units (OR = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.4-6.1). Insulin, antibiotics, antiepileptics, antipsychotics, and atypical antidepressants were associated with delirium, whereas statins and angiotensin receptor blockers exhibited an inverse association. A stronger association was seen between typical and atypical antipsychotics and delirium in subjects free from dementia compared to individuals with dementia (typical: OR = 4.31; 95% CI, 2.94-6.31 without dementia vs OR = 1.64; 95% CI, 1.19-2.26 with dementia; atypical: OR = 5.32; 95% CI, 3.44-8.22 without dementia vs OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.26-2.40 with dementia). The absence of antipsychotics among the prescribed drugs was inversely associated with delirium in the whole sample and in both of the hospital settings, but only in patients without dementia. Conclusions: Polypharmacy is significantly associated with delirium only in surgical units, raising the issue of the relevance of medication review in different clinical settings. Specific drug classes are associated with delirium depending on the clinical setting and dementia diagnosis, suggesting the need to further explore this relationship

Understanding Factors Associated With Psychomotor Subtypes of Delirium in Older Inpatients With Dementia

Objectives: Few studies have analyzed factors associated with delirium subtypes. In this study, we investigate factors associated with subtypes of delirium only in patients with dementia to provide insights on the possible prevention and treatments. Design: This is a cross-sectional study nested in the “Delirium Day” study, a nationwide Italian point-prevalence study. Setting and Participants: Older patients admitted to 205 acute and 92 rehabilitation hospital wards. Measures: Delirium was evaluated with the 4-AT and the motor subtypes with the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale. Dementia was defined by the presence of a documented diagnosis in the medical records and/or prescription of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine prior to admission. Results: Of the 1057 patients with dementia, 35% had delirium, with 25.6% hyperactive, 33.1% hypoactive, 34.5% mixed, and 6.7% nonmotor subtype. There were higher odds of having venous catheters in the hypoactive (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.18-2.81) and mixed type of delirium (OR 2.23, CI 1.43-3.46), whereas higher odds of urinary catheters in the hypoactive (OR 2.91, CI 1.92-4.39), hyperactive (OR 1.99, CI 1.23-3.21), and mixed types of delirium (OR 2.05, CI 1.36-3.07). We found higher odds of antipsychotics both in the hyperactive (OR 2.87, CI 1.81-4.54) and mixed subtype (OR 1.84, CI 1.24-2.75), whereas higher odds of antibiotics was present only in the mixed subtype (OR 1.91, CI 1.26-2.87). Conclusions and Implications: In patients with dementia, the mixed delirium subtype is the most prevalent followed by the hypoactive, hyperactive, and nonmotor subtype. Motor subtypes of delirium may be triggered by clinical factors, including the use of venous and urinary catheters, and the use of antipsychotics. Future studies are necessary to provide further insights on the possible pathophysiology of delirium in patients with dementia and to address the optimization of the management of potential risk factors