Estimating Kidney Function in the Critically Ill Patients

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is an accepted measure for assessment of kidney function. For the critically ill patient, creatinine clearance is the method of reference for the estimation of the GFR, although this is often not measured but estimated by equations (i.e., Cockroft-Gault or MDRD) not well suited for the critically ill patient. Functional evaluation of the kidney rests in serum creatinine (Crs) that is subjected to multiple external factors, especially relevant overhydration and loss of muscle mass. The laboratory method used introduces variations in Crs, an important fact considering that small increases in Crs have serious repercussion on the prognosis of patients. Efforts directed to stratify the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) have crystallized in the RIFLE or AKIN systems, based in sequential changes in Crs or urine flow. These systems have provided a common definition of AKI and, due to their sensitivity, have meant a considerable advantage for the clinical practice but, on the other side, have introduced an uncertainty in clinical research because of potentially overestimating AKI incidence. Another significant drawback is the unavoidable period of time needed before a patient is classified, and this is perhaps the problem to be overcome in the near future

Towards the growth of Cu2ZnSn1-xGexS4 thin films by a single-stage process: Effect of substrate temperature and composition

Cu2ZnSn1-xGexS4 (CZTGS) thin films prepared by flash evaporation of a Zn-rich Cu2ZnSn0.5Ge0.5S4 bulk compound in powder form, and a subsequent thermal annealing in S containing Ar atmosphere are studied. The effect of the substrate temperature during evaporation and the initial composition of the precursor powder on the growth mechanism and properties of the final CZTGS thin film are investigated. The microstructure of the films and elemental depth profiles depend strongly on the growth conditions used. Incorporation of Ge into the Cu2ZnSnS4 lattice is demonstrated by the shift of the relevant X-ray diffraction peaks and Raman vibrational modes towards higher diffraction angles and frequencies respectively. A Raman mode at around 348-351 cm-1 is identified as characteristic of CZTGS alloys for x = [Ge]/([Sn]+[Ge]) = 0.14-0.30. The supply of Ge enables the reduction of the Sn loss via a saccrifical Ge loss. This fact allows increasing the substrate temperature up to 350º C during the evaporation, forming a high quality kesterite material and therefore, reducing the deposition process to one single stageRC acknowledges financial support from Spanish MINECO within the Ramón y Cajal programme (RYC-2011-08521) and VIR for the Juan de la Cierva fellowship (JCI-2011-10782). GB also acknowledges the CSIC-JAE pre-doctoral program, co-funded by the European Social Fund. This work was supported by the Marie Curie-IRSES project (PVICOKEST, GA: 269167), Marie Curie-ITN project (KESTCELL, GA: 316488), DAAD project (INTERKEST, Ref: 57050358), and MINECO projects (SUNBEAM, ENE2013-49136-C4-3-R) (TEC2012-38901-C02-01). A. Scheu is acknowledged for GDOES measurement

Multi-agent simulation of hydraulic transient equations in pressurized systems

Computational modeling pervades virtually every industrial process. By using numerical representations of the behavior of elements that constitute a system it is possible to obtain efficient and safe designs. Moreover, system operation can be better defined by using such models, thus enabling greater reliability and control. In this paper the use of agents to solve the equations describing fast transients in water networks is investigated. As the simulation of hydraulic transients in pressurized systems is a naturally distributed problem, the authors argue that a multi-agent based system is very suitable for the solution of this complex engineering phenomenon. A hybrid solution is built by deploying agents to work with sets of equations describing hydraulic transient behavior in pipeline systems. The details necessary to assemble a complete and lubricated machine to model the complex phenomenon of hydraulic transients in pressurized systems are described. This research develops a platform that constitutes an efficient and versatile tool of great interest for water supply managers when analyzing water hammer effects in their networks.Izquierdo Sebastián, J.; Montalvo Arango, I.; Pérez García, R.; Ayala Cabrera, D. (2015). Multi-agent simulation of hydraulic transient equations in pressurized systems. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. 04015071:1-14. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000549S1140401507

Carbon redistribution by erosion processes in an intensively disturbed catchment

29 Pags.- 6 Tabls.- 6 Figs. This article belongs to a special issue of Catena titled "Geoecology in Mediterranean mountain areas. Tribute to Professor José María García Ruiz". The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03418162Understanding how organic carbon (OC) moves with sediments along the fluvial system is crucial to determining catchment scale carbon budgets and helps the proper management of fragile ecosystems. Especially challenging is the analysis of OC dynamics during fluvial transport in heterogeneous, fragile, and disturbed environments with ephemeral and intense hydrological pulses, typical of Mediterranean conditions. This paper explores the catchment scale OC redistribution by lateral flows in extreme Mediterranean environmental conditions, from a geomorphological perspective. The study area is a catchment (Cárcavo) in SE Spain with a semiarid climate, erodible lithologies, and shallow soils, which is highly disturbed by agricultural terraces, land levelling, reforestation, and construction of check-dams. To increase our understanding of catchment scale OC redistribution induced by erosion, we studied in detail the subcatchments of eight check-dams distributed along the catchments main channel. We determined 137Cs, physicochemical characteristics, and the OC pools of the catchment soils and sediments deposited behind each check-dam, performed spatial analysis of catchment properties and buffer areas around the check-dams, and carried out geomorphological analysis of the slope-channel connections. The soils showed very low total organic carbon (TOC) values, oscillating between 15.2 and 4.4 g kg− 1 for forest and agricultural soils, respectively. Sediments mobilized by erosion were poor in TOC (6.6 ± 0.7 g kg– 1) compared to the eroded (forest) soils, and the redistribution of OC through the catchment, especially of the mineral associated organic carbon (MAC) pool, showed the same pattern as clay particles and 137Cs. The TOC erosion rates estimated for the Cárcavo watershed are relatively low (0.031 ± 0.03 Mg ha− 1 y− 1) but similar to those reported for subhumid Mediterranean catchments that are less fragile and more conducive to plant growth. The TOC erosion/total erosion ratio was lower (0.06%) than other estimates, although the average OC concentration of the sediments was higher than that of the agricultural soils of the catchment, underlining the problem of maintaining sustainable soil OC contents. The OC in deposited sediments came not only from surface erosion processes, but also from deeper soil or sediment layers mobilized by concentrated erosion processes. Sediment richer in OC came from the surface soil of vegetated (reforested) areas close and well connected to the channels. Subcatchments dominated by laminar erosion processes showed a TOC erosion/total erosion ratio that was two times higher than that of subcatchments dominated by concentrated flow erosion processes. The lithology, soils, and geomorphology exert a more important control on OC redistribution than land use and vegetation cover in this geomorphologically very active catchment.This work was financially supported by the projects ADAPT (CGL2013-42009-R) and DISECO (CGL2014-55-405-R) from the Spanish Government, National Plan of Science; the project CAMBIO (18933/JLI/13) of the Seneca Foundation, Regional Government of Murcia (Spain); and the project SOGLO (P7/24 IAP BELSPO) from the Belgian Government. Joris de Vente was supported by a ‘Ramón y Cajal’ grant (RYC-2012-10375).Peer reviewe

Ocular related emergencies in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic, a multicenter study

Purpose: To evaluate ophthalmological emergencies (OE) during the COVID-19 pandemic comparing them with the same period of the previous year. Methods: Retrospective observational study of all OE visits in four tertiary hospitals in Spain comparing data from March 16th to April 30th, 2020 (COVID-19 period) and the same period of 2019 (pre-COVID-19 period). Severity of the conditions was assessed following Channa et al. publication. Data on demographics, diagnosis and treatments were collected from Electronic Medical Records. Results: During lockdown, OE significantly declined by 75.18%, from 7, 730 registered in the pre-COVID-19 period to 1, 928 attended during the COVID-19 period (p < 0.001). In 2019, 23.86% of visits were classified as emergent, 59.50% as non-emergent, and 16.65% could not be determined. In 2020, the percentage of emergent visits increased up to 29.77%, non-emergent visits significantly decreased to 52.92% (p < 0.001), and 17.31% of the visits were classified as “could not determine”. During the pandemic, people aged between 45 and 65 years old represented the largest attending group (37.89%), compared to 2019, where patients over 65 years were the majority (39.80%). In 2019, most frequent diagnosis was unspecified acute conjunctivitis (11.59%), followed by vitreous degeneration (6.47%), and punctate keratitis (5.86%). During the COVID-19 period, vitreous degeneration was the first cause for consultation (9.28%), followed by unspecified acute conjunctivitis (5.63%) and punctate keratitis (5.85%). Conclusions: OE visits dropped significantly during the pandemic in Spain (75.18%), although more than half were classified as non-urgent conditions, indicating a lack of understanding of the really emergent ocular pathologies among population. © 2021, The Author(s)

Aplicación de la oxifertirrigación para optimizar los recursos hídricos en cítricos, basado en la aplicación de peróxido de hidrógeno en el agua de riego

En este trabajo se estudia la respuesta fisiológica y agronómica de la aplicación de la oxifertirrigación química, basada en la aplicación de peróxido de hidrógeno como fuente de oxígeno a nivel radicular en cítricos. El ensayo tuvo lugar durante dos campañas (2018-2019 y 2019-2020) en árboles adultos de mandarino híbrido ‘Ortanique’ ubicados en una parcela experimental del IMIDA en Torre Pacheco (Murcia). Se establecieron dos tratamientos, un tratamiento ‘Control’ (0 ppm de H2O2) y otro identificado como ‘OXI’ (50-100 ppm de H2O2 durante todo el ciclo de cultivo). Ambos tratamientos recibieron la misma cantidad de agua y de fertilizante. El H2O2 se aplicó de forma continua con una bomba dosificadora a la red de riego. Los resultados más destacados mostraron que el estado hídrico de los árboles del tratamiento ‘OXI’ fue muy similar al control. Respecto a los parámetros de intercambio gaseoso, la aplicación de H2O2 estimuló una mayor apertura estomática en el mes de septiembre de ambas campañas. Sin embargo, las ligeras alteraciones fisiológicas no han supuesto cambios sustanciales en la biometría de la planta. En la segunda campaña, la aplicación de H2O2 en el riego favoreció la acumulación de N, K y Fe en hoja, lo que permitiría reducir la dosis de fertilizante. La respuesta productiva y la eficiencia en el uso del agua no presentaron una clara mejora a la aplicación de H2O2 en el agua de riego. Los mayores niveles de N en el tratamiento ‘OXI’ afectaron negativamente a la calidad del fruto, reduciendo el porcentaje de zumo y aumentando el porcentaje de corteza. En cambio, la aplicación de H2O2 disminuyó el índice de madurez de la fruta, lo que resulta interesante de cara a retrasar la recolección en variedades tardías

Towards the growth of Cu2ZnSn1 xGexS4 thin films by a single-stage process: Effect of substrate temperature and composition

9 págs.; 7 figs.; 2 tabs.Cu2ZnSn1-xGexS4 (CZTGS) thin films prepared by flash evaporation of a Zn-rich Cu2ZnSn0.5Ge0.5S4 bulk compound in powder form, and a subsequent thermal annealing in S containing Ar atmosphere are studied. The effect of the substrate temperature during evaporation and the initial composition of the precursor powder on the growth mechanism and properties of the final CZTGS thin film are investigated. The microstructure of the films and elemental depth profiles depend strongly on the growth conditions used. Incorporation of Ge into the Cu2ZnSnS4 lattice is demonstrated by the shift of the relevant X-ray diffraction peaks and Raman vibrational modes towards higher diffraction angles and frequencies respectively. A Raman mode at around 348-351 cm-1 is identified as characteristic of CZTGS alloys for x = [Ge]/([Sn]+[Ge]) = 0.14-0.30. The supply of Ge enables the reduction of the Sn loss via a saccrifical Ge loss. This fact allows increasing the substrate temperature up to 350º C during the evaporation, forming a high quality kesterite material and therefore, reducing the deposition process to one single stage & 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.RC acknowledges financial support from Spanish MINECO within the Ramón y Cajal programme (RYC-2011-08521) and VIR for the Juan de la Cierva fellowship (JCI-2011-10782). GB also acknowledges the CSIC-JAE Pre-doctoral Program, co-funded by the European Social Fund. This work was supported by the Marie Curie-IRSES Project (PVICOKEST, GA: 269167), Marie Curie-ITN project (KESTCELL, GA: 316488), DAAD project (INTERKEST, Ref: 57050358), and MINECO projects (SUNBEAM, ENE2013-49136-C4-3-R) (TEC2012- 38901-C02-01). A. Scheu is acknowledged for GDOES measurements.Peer Reviewe