Low-cost architectural strategies to reduce heat stress in social housing for hot desert climates

Achieving thermal comfort inside buildings in a region with a hot desert climate is challenging, especially in social housing, which is generally not designed or built suitably for these climates. Two well-known architectural strategies for reducing heat stress in these houses are thermal insulation and solar protection by shading. However, under free-running conditions, doubts arise about the effectiveness of these strategies. The social housing of the city of Hermosillo is exclusively single-family housing. The city has a hot desert climate with an average annual temperature of 25 ¿ and a mean oscillation of 15 ¿. During the hot season, there are recurring peaks above 48 ¿. This study aims to evaluate three low-cost architectural strategies to reduce heat stress in a single-family social house under free-running conditions; adding thermal insulation to walls and windows, adding sun protection to windows, and solar protection to the roof. The results show that both the use of thermal insulation and solar protections achieve improvements in the indoor thermal conditions of the house. However, when considering the warmer months, the solar protection strategies perform better in reducing indoor heat stress in terms of discomfort hours.Peer ReviewedPreprin

Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II (DRB3) Genetic Diversity in Spanish Morucha and Colombian Normande Cattle Compared to Taurine and Zebu Populations

Bovine leukocyte antigens (BoLA) have been used as disease markers and immunological traits in cattle due to their primary role in pathogen recognition by the immune system. A higher MHC allele diversity in a population will allow presenting a broader peptide repertoire. However, loss of overall diversity due to domestication process can decrease a population’s peptide repertoire. Within the context of zebu and taurine cattle populations, BoLA-DRB3 genetic diversity in Spanish Morucha and Colombian Normande cattle was analyzed and an approach to estimate functional diversity was performed. Sequence-based typing was used for identifying 29, 23, 27, and 28 alleles in Spanish Morucha, Nariño-, Boyacá-, and Cundinamarca-Normande cattle, respectively. These breeds had remarkably low heterozygosity levels and the Hardy-Weinberg principle revealed significant heterozygote deficiency. FST and DA genetic distance showed that Colombian Normande populations had greater variability than other phenotypically homogeneous breeds, such as Holstein. It was also found that Spanish Morucha cattle were strongly differentiated from other cattle breeds. Spanish Morucha had greater divergence in the peptide-binding region regarding other cattle breeds. However, peptide-binding region covariation indicated that the potential peptide repertoire seemed equivalent among cattle breeds. Despite the genetic divergence observed, the extent of the potential peptide repertoire in the cattle populations studied appears to be similar and thus their pathogen recognition potential should be equivalent, suggesting that functional diversity might persist in the face of bottlenecks imposed by domestication and breeding. © Copyright © 2020 Bohórquez, Ordoñez, Suárez, Vicente, Vieira, López-Abán, Muro, Ordóñez and Patarroyo

EMIR, the GTC NIR multi-object imager-spectrograph

EMIR, currently entering into its fabrication and AIV phase, will be one of the first common user instruments for the GTC, the 10 meter telescope under construction by GRANTECAN at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Canary Islands, Spain). EMIR is being built by a Consortium of Spanish and French institutes led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). EMIR is designed to realize one of the central goals of 10m class telescopes, allowing observers to obtain spectra for large numbers of faint sources in a time-efficient manner. EMIR is primarily designed to be operated as a MOS in the K band, but others a wide range of observing modes, including imaging and spectroscopy, both long slit and multi-object, in the wavelength range 0.9 to 2.5 um. It is equipped with two innovative subsystems: a robotic reconfigurable multi-slit mask and dispersive elements formed by the combination of high quality distraction grating and conventional prisms, both at the heart of the instrument. The present status of development, expected performances, schedule and plans for scientific exploitation are described and discussed. The development and fabrication of EMIR is funded by GRANTECAN and the Plan Nacional de Astronomía y Astrofísica (National Plan for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Spain).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

5to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

El V Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2019, realizado del 6 al 8 de febrero de 2019 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, ofreció a la comunidad académica nacional e internacional una plataforma de comunicación unificada, dirigida a cubrir los problemas teóricos y prácticos de mayor impacto en la sociedad moderna desde la ingeniería. En esta edición, dedicada a los 25 años de vida de la UPS, los ejes temáticos estuvieron relacionados con la aplicación de la ciencia, el desarrollo tecnológico y la innovación en cinco pilares fundamentales de nuestra sociedad: la industria, la movilidad, la sostenibilidad ambiental, la información y las telecomunicaciones. El comité científico estuvo conformado formado por 48 investigadores procedentes de diez países: España, Reino Unido, Italia, Bélgica, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Brasil, Estados Unidos y Ecuador. Fueron recibidas un centenar de contribuciones, de las cuales 39 fueron aprobadas en forma de ponencias y 15 en formato poster. Estas contribuciones fueron presentadas de forma oral ante toda la comunidad académica que se dio cita en el Congreso, quienes desde el aula magna, el auditorio y la sala de usos múltiples de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, cumplieron respetuosamente la responsabilidad de representar a toda la sociedad en la revisión, aceptación y validación del conocimiento nuevo que fue presentado en cada exposición por los investigadores. Paralelo a las sesiones técnicas, el Congreso contó con espacios de presentación de posters científicos y cinco workshops en temáticas de vanguardia que cautivaron la atención de nuestros docentes y estudiantes. También en el marco del evento se impartieron un total de ocho conferencias magistrales en temas tan actuales como la gestión del conocimiento en la universidad-ecosistema, los retos y oportunidades de la industria 4.0, los avances de la investigación básica y aplicada en mecatrónica para el estudio de robots de nueva generación, la optimización en ingeniería con técnicas multi-objetivo, el desarrollo de las redes avanzadas en Latinoamérica y los mundos, la contaminación del aire debido al tránsito vehicular, el radón y los riesgos que representa este gas radiactivo para la salud humana, entre otros

Impact of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients: A nationwide study in Spain

Objective To assess the effect of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients in Spain. Settings The initial flood of COVID-19 patients overwhelmed an unprepared healthcare system. Different measures were taken to deal with this overburden. The effect of these measures on neurosurgical patients, as well as the effect of COVID-19 itself, has not been thoroughly studied. Participants This was a multicentre, nationwide, observational retrospective study of patients who underwent any neurosurgical operation from March to July 2020. Interventions An exploratory factorial analysis was performed to select the most relevant variables of the sample. Primary and secondary outcome measures Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of mortality and postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results Sixteen hospitals registered 1677 operated patients. The overall mortality was 6.4%, and 2.9% (44 patients) suffered a perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of those infections, 24 were diagnosed postoperatively. Age (OR 1.05), perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 4.7), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.006), postoperative neurological worsening (OR 5.9), postoperative need for airway support (OR 5.38), ASA grade =3 (OR 2.5) and preoperative GCS 3-8 (OR 2.82) were independently associated with mortality. For SARS-CoV-2 postoperative infection, screening swab test <72 hours preoperatively (OR 0.76), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.011), preoperative cognitive impairment (OR 2.784), postoperative sepsis (OR 3.807) and an absence of postoperative complications (OR 0.188) were independently associated. Conclusions Perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection in neurosurgical patients was associated with an increase in mortality by almost fivefold. Community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) was a statistically independent predictor of mortality. Trial registration number CEIM 20/217

Colombian consensus recommendations for diagnosis, management and treatment of the infection by SARS-COV-2/ COVID-19 in health care facilities - Recommendations from expert´s group based and informed on evidence

La Asociación Colombiana de Infectología (ACIN) y el Instituto de Evaluación de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Salud (IETS) conformó un grupo de trabajo para desarrollar recomendaciones informadas y basadas en evidencia, por consenso de expertos para la atención, diagnóstico y manejo de casos de Covid 19. Estas guías son dirigidas al personal de salud y buscar dar recomendaciones en los ámbitos de la atención en salud de los casos de Covid-19, en el contexto nacional de Colombia

Diverse Large HIV-1 Non-subtype B Clusters Are Spreading Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Spain

In Western Europe, the HIV-1 epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) is dominated by subtype B. However, recently, other genetic forms have been reported to circulate in this population, as evidenced by their grouping in clusters predominantly comprising European individuals. Here we describe four large HIV-1 non-subtype B clusters spreading among MSM in Spain. Samples were collected in 9 regions. A pol fragment was amplified from plasma RNA or blood-extracted DNA. Phylogenetic analyses were performed via maximum likelihood, including database sequences of the same genetic forms as the identified clusters. Times and locations of the most recent common ancestors (MRCA) of clusters were estimated with a Bayesian method. Five large non-subtype B clusters associated with MSM were identified. The largest one, of F1 subtype, was reported previously. The other four were of CRF02_AG (CRF02_1; n = 115) and subtypes A1 (A1_1; n = 66), F1 (F1_3; n = 36), and C (C_7; n = 17). Most individuals belonging to them had been diagnosed of HIV-1 infection in the last 10 years. Each cluster comprised viruses from 3 to 8 Spanish regions and also comprised or was related to viruses from other countries: CRF02_1 comprised a Japanese subcluster and viruses from 8 other countries from Western Europe, Asia, and South America; A1_1 comprised viruses from Portugal, United Kingom, and United States, and was related to the A1 strain circulating in Greece, Albania and Cyprus; F1_3 was related to viruses from Romania; and C_7 comprised viruses from Portugal and was related to a virus from Mozambique. A subcluster within CRF02_1 was associated with heterosexual transmission. Near full-length genomes of each cluster were of uniform genetic form. Times of MRCAs of CRF02_1, A1_1, F1_3, and C_7 were estimated around 1986, 1989, 2013, and 1983, respectively. MRCA locations for CRF02_1 and A1_1 were uncertain (however initial expansions in Spain in Madrid and Vigo, respectively, were estimated) and were most probable in Bilbao, Spain, for F1_3 and Portugal for C_7. These results show that the HIV-1 epidemic among MSM in Spain is becoming increasingly diverse through the expansion of diverse non-subtype B clusters, comprising or related to viruses circulating in other countries

Gestión del conocimiento. Perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 17

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, Volumen 17 de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro es una publicación internacional, seriada, continua, arbitrada, de acceso abierto a todas las áreas del conocimiento, orientada a contribuir con procesos de gestión del conocimiento científico, tecnológico y humanístico. Con esta colección, se aspira contribuir con el cultivo, la comprensión, la recopilación y la apropiación social del conocimiento en cuanto a patrimonio intangible de la humanidad, con el propósito de hacer aportes con la transformación de las relaciones socioculturales que sustentan la construcción social de los saberes y su reconocimiento como bien público

Adelante / Endavant

Séptimo desafío por la erradicación de la violencia contra las mujeres del Institut Universitari d’Estudis Feministes i de Gènere "Purificación Escribano" de la Universitat Jaume

Planificación urbana en ciudades dispersas de clima desértico: la densificación vertical como estrategia para la mejora ambiental : el caso de Hermosillo (México)

By 2050, the world's population will have doubled and will be mainly urban. This perspective generates the need to think about the present and the future of cities, especially those located in mid-latitudes, where a large part of that population accumulates. Many of these cities are in regions with hot semi-arid and hot-dry climates. Traditionally, desert cities were designed in compact shapes in response to various climatic factors. Today, these cities have adopted the dispersed city model, driven by car use, the emergence of cooling systems, and a steady decline in energy costs. This form of growth raises a series of problems from an environmental point of view: poor habitability of the public space, long distances, an elevated land use, high demand for cooling. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the energy repercussions of the increase in urban density in dispersed and low-density cities with a hot-dry climate in the northwestern region of Mexico. The city of Hermosillo in Sonora, a medium-sized city in expansion, is taken as a case study. This thesis analyzes the effects of urban densification on three different scales: city, neighborhood, and building. Based on a city-scale cartographic analysis, this thesis shows that Hermosillo presents a dispersed pattern of low-density growth with two main characteristics: low centrality and high fragmentation. The low centrality is due to the loss of population and economic weight of the urban center in favor of the periphery. The urban fragmentation is a result of the existence of a large number of vacant lots (35% of the urban area). Therefore, two urban strategies are identified and could be followed to slow down the growth of the urban area: the infill of vacant lots and the densification of existing fabrics (stacking) for the creation of high-density sub-centers. The historic center of Hermosillo is selected to carry out the analysis on a neighborhood scale. The impact that a densification process of an existing urban fabric has on the habitability of the urban space is assessed. Currently, this fabric has a high pedestrian potential, but low population and building density, and high levels of solar radiation. In this thesis, the study area is rethought through a densification process employing the mixed-use lot and the stacking of houses. It is shown that by following the current regulations is possible to achieve building density values similar to those of urban centers and tissue of cities with compact morphology. Also, by allowing an increase in density allows achieving streets with an aspect ratio of around h/w= 1, a ratio that, at this latitude, permits the creation of "shadow corridors" spaces protected from radiation. Finally, the impact of stacking on energy performance at the building scale is analyzed using dynamic thermal simulations. To this end, this thesis compares the thermal behavior of free-running homes and the energy demand for cooling during the hot season of isolated single-family homes and multi-family homes in height. The conclusion is that the higher the stacking level, the better the thermal and energy performance. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that in homes without refrigeration, the use of solar protection on windows achieves a slightly superior improvement than that of thermal insulation. Therefore, this thesis allows us to demonstrate that an increase in density (building and population) has advantages at different scales, especially in cities with a hot-desert climate. Stacking allows the creation of shade in the public space and, at the same time, an improvement in the internal energy consumption of refrigerated homes.Para el año 2050, la población mundial se habrá duplicado y será mayoritariamente urbana. Esta perspectiva genera la necesidad de pensar el presente y el futuro de las ciudades, especialmente de las localizadas en latitudes medias, donde se acumula una gran parte de esa población. Muchas de estas ciudades se encuentran en regiones con climas semiárido-cálido y cálido-seco. Tradicionalmente, las ciudades del desierto eran diseñadas con formas compactas en respuesta a diversos factores climáticos. En la actualidad, estas ciudades han adoptado el modelo de ciudad dispersa, impulsadas por el uso del automóvil, la aparición de sistemas de refrigeración y una constante bajada en los costos de la energía. Esta forma de crecimiento plantea una serie de problemas desde un punto de vista ambiental: poca habitabilidad del espacio público, grandes distancias, elevado consumo de suelo, una alta demanda de refrigeración. El objetivo de esta tesis es evaluar las repercusiones energéticas del aumento de la densidad urbana en ciudades poco densas y dispersas con clima cálido-seco de la región noroeste de México. Se toma como caso de estudio la ciudad de Hermosillo en Sonora, una ciudad de tamaño medio en expansión. Esta tesis analiza los efectos de la densificación urbana en tres escalas diferentes: de ciudad, de barrio y de edificio. Con base a un análisis cartográfico a escala de ciudad, esta tesis muestra que Hermosillo presenta un patrón disperso de crecimiento de baja densidad con dos características principales: baja centralidad y alta fragmentación. La baja centralidad se debe a la pérdida de peso poblacional y económico del centro urbano en favor de la periferia. La fragmentación urbana, a la existencia de un gran número de lotes baldíos (35% del área urbana). Por lo tanto, se identifican dos estrategias urbanas a seguir para desacelerar el crecimiento de la mancha urbana: el infill de lotes baldíos y la densificación de tejidos existentes (apilamiento) para la creación de subcentros de alta densidad. A escala de barrio, se selecciona el centro histórico de Hermosillo para analizar el impacto de la densificación de un tejido urbano existente sobre la habitabilidad del espacio urbano. Actualmente, este tejido presenta un alto potencial peatonal, pero baja densidad poblacional y edificatoria, y elevados índices de radiación solar. En esta tesis se ha replanteado el área de estudio a través de un proceso de densificación, mediante el lote de uso mixto y el apilamiento de viviendas. Se muestra que, respetando la normativa actual, es posible alcanzar valores de densidad edificatoria similares a los de centros urbanos y tejidos de ciudades de morfología compacta. Además, de permitir un aumento en la densidad, permite conseguir calles con una relación de aspecto de alrededor de h/w=1, una relación que, en esta latitud, permite la creación de «corredores de sombra», espacios protegidos de la radiación. Por último, se analiza el impacto del apilamiento sobre el comportamiento energético a escala de edificio mediante simulaciones térmicas dinámicas. Para ello, se compara el comportamiento térmico de las viviendas en régimen libre y la demanda de refrigeración durante la temporada de calor de viviendas unifamiliares aisladas y las viviendas plurifamiliares en altura. Se concluye que a mayor nivel de apilamiento mejor desempeño térmico y energético. Se muestra además que, en viviendas sin refrigeración, el uso de protección solar en las ventanas logra una mejora ligeramente superior a la del aislamiento térmico. Por lo tanto, esta tesis permite demostrar que un aumento de la densidad (edificatoria y poblacional) tiene ventajas a diferentes escalas, sobre todo en ciudades de clima cálido-seco. El apilamiento permite la creación de sombra en el espacio público, y al mismo tiempo una mejora en el consumo energético interior de las viviendas refrigeradas.Postprint (published version