Thorpe method applied to planetary boundary layer data

Turbulence affects the dynamics of atmospheric processes by enhancing the transport of mass, heat, humidity and pollutants. The global objective of our work is to analyze some direct turbulent descriptors which reflect the mixing processes in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). In this paper we present results related to the Thorpe displacements dT , the maximum Thorpe displacement (dT )max and the Thorpe scale LT , the Ozmidov scale and their time evolution in the ABL during a day cycle. A tethered balloon was used to obtain vertical profiles of the atmospheric physical magnitudes up to 1000m. We discuss the vertical and horizontal variability and how different descriptors are related to atmospheric mixing

Elective Recurrent Inguinal Hernia Repair : Value of an Abdominal Wall Surgery Unit

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of an abdominal wall surgery unit on postoperative complications (within 90 days postoperatively), hernia recurrence and chronic postoperative inguinal pain after elective recurrent inguinal hernia repair. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients who underwent elective recurrent inguinal hernia repair between January 2010 and October 2021. Short- and long-term outcomes were compared between the group of patients operated on in the abdominal wall surgery unit and the group of patients operated on by other units not specialized in abdominal wall surgery. A logistic regression model was performed for hernia recurrence. A total of 250 patients underwent elective surgery for recurrent inguinal hernia during the study period. The patients in the abdominal wall surgery group were younger (P ≤ 0.001) and had fewer comorbidities (P ≤ 0.001). There were no differences between the groups in terms of complications. The patients in the abdominal wall surgery group presented fewer recurrences (15% vs. 3%; P = 0.001). Surgery performed by the abdominal wall surgery unit was related to fewer recurrences in the multivariate analysis (HR = 0.123; 95% CI = 0.21-0.725; P = 0.021). Specialization in abdominal wall surgery seems to have a positive impact in terms of recurrence in recurrent inguinal hernia repair. The influence of comorbidities or type of surgery (i.e., outpatient surgery) require further study

Elective Recurrent Inguinal Hernia Repair: Value of an Abdominal Wall Surgery Unit

Inguinal hernia; Abdominal wall surgeryHernia inguinal; Cirugía de la pared abdominalHèrnia inguinal; Cirurgia de la paret abdominalBackground The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of an abdominal wall surgery unit on postoperative complications (within 90 days postoperatively), hernia recurrence and chronic postoperative inguinal pain after elective recurrent inguinal hernia repair. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients who underwent elective recurrent inguinal hernia repair between January 2010 and October 2021. Short- and long-term outcomes were compared between the group of patients operated on in the abdominal wall surgery unit and the group of patients operated on by other units not specialized in abdominal wall surgery. A logistic regression model was performed for hernia recurrence. Results A total of 250 patients underwent elective surgery for recurrent inguinal hernia during the study period. The patients in the abdominal wall surgery group were younger (P ≤ 0.001) and had fewer comorbidities (P ≤ 0.001). There were no differences between the groups in terms of complications. The patients in the abdominal wall surgery group presented fewer recurrences (15% vs. 3%; P = 0.001). Surgery performed by the abdominal wall surgery unit was related to fewer recurrences in the multivariate analysis (HR = 0.123; 95% CI = 0.21–0.725; P = 0.021). Conclusions Specialization in abdominal wall surgery seems to have a positive impact in terms of recurrence in recurrent inguinal hernia repair. The influence of comorbidities or type of surgery (i.e., outpatient surgery) require further study.Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. This work did not receive external funding from any source other than the authors’ institution

Long-time behavior of an angiogenesis model with flux at the tumor boundary

This paper deals with a nonlinear system of partial differential equations modeling a simplified tumor-induced angiogenesis taking into account only the interplay between tumor angiogenic factors and endothelial cells. Considered model assumes a nonlinear flux at the tumor boundary and a nonlinear chemotactic response. It is proved that the choice of some key parameters influences the long-time behaviour of the system. More precisely, we show the convergence of solutions to different semi-trivial stationary states for different range of parameters.Comment: 17 page

Microfaunal soil food webs in Mediterranean semi-arid agroecosystems. Does organic management improve soil health?

Soil food webs, which are responsible for relevant ecological functions in agroecosystems such as nutrient cycling and pest and disease suppression, represent a crucial aspect of agricultural sustainability. We studied soil properties and microfaunal food web diversity and functioning in six paired organic and conventional fields located in Central Spain to assess the effects of organic farming on soil diversity and functioning in semi-arid conditions. We hypothesized that organic farming may enhance functioning of soil food webs. Our results showed larger differences between crop types, namely olive groves and vineyards, than between farming scheme, i.e. organic and conventional fields, and few benefits of organic farming in terms of soil fertility. Soil properties (total N, C, and P, available P and K, electrical conductivity, NH4+, NO3−, soil moisture, pH) tended to present higher values in vineyards than in olive groves and in conventional than in organic fields. Some plant-parasitic nematodes were associated to organic fields, especially in vineyards, and all soils fell within a degraded soil food web condition, with low Structure and Enrichment Index values. Nematode metabolic footprints showed relevant seasonal dynamics, with the more intensive herbivore activity in spring. We conclude that the lack of conventional pesticides and mineral fertilizers is probably not enough to improve soil conservation in semi-arid Mediterranean agroecosystems, and thus active soil conservation practices, as reduced tillage or cover cropping, are required to increase agroecosystem sustainability.Fundación Internacional para la Restauración de EcosistemasMinisterio de Economía y Competitivida

NOSTROMO - D1.2 - Final Project Results Report

The main objective of the NOSTROMO project has been to develop, demonstrate and evaluate an innovative modelling approach for the rigorous and comprehensive assessment of the performance impact of future ATM concepts and solutions at ECAC network level. This approach brings together the ability of bottom-up microscopic models to capture emergent behaviour and interdependencies between different solutions with the level of tractability and interpretability required to effectively support decision-making. This report provides a summary of NOSTROMO accomplishments and contributions to the SESAR Programme. It gathers technical lessons learned and concludes proposing further developments to facilitate the use of the NOSTROMO methodology in the future SESAR 3 Programme

Empirical Evidence of the Metacognitive Model of Rumination and Depression in Clinical and Nonclinical Samples: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Rumination is considered a cognitive vulnerability factor in the development and maintenance of depression. The metacognitive model of rumination and depression suggests that the development of rumination and its association with depression partly depends on metacognitive beliefs. Two metacognitive beliefs about rumination have been identified: positive beliefs about its utility and negative beliefs about the uncontrollability and its negative social consequences. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed: (1) to analyze the associations between metacognitive beliefs and rumination and depression; (2) to test the metacognitive model, using a Two-Stage Structural Equation Modeling approach (TSSEM). Literature search retrieved 41 studies. These 41 studies (N = 10,607) were included in the narrative synthesis and meta-analysis, and 16 studies (N = 4477) were comprised for the TSSEM. Results indicated metacognitive beliefs are associated with rumination and depression. Measures on metacognitive beliefs about rumination indicated that positive beliefs showed moderate associations with rumination (r = 0.50), and low with depression (r = 0.27); whereas negative beliefs showed moderate associations with both rumination (r = 0.46) and depression (r = 0.49). These results were consistent across studies using different instruments to measure metacognitive beliefs, and in both clinical and nonclinical samples. Moreover, results of the TSSEM analyses showed that the metacognitive model had a good fit. In sum, our results are in line with the metacognitive model of rumination and depression, highlighting that metacognitive beliefs are relevant factors to understand why people ruminate and get depressed. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed

Virtual simulation of the biomechanics of the abdominal wall with different stoma locations

Biomedical engineering; Gastrointestinal diseases; Mathematics and computingIngeniería Biomédica; Enfermedades gastrointestinales; Matemáticas e InformáticaEnginyeria Biomèdica; Malalties gastrointestinals; Matemàtiques i informàticaAn ostomy is a surgical procedure by which an artificial opening in the abdominal wall, known as a stoma, is created. We assess the effects of stoma location on the abdominal wall mechanics. We perform three-dimensional finite element simulations on an anatomy model which was generated on the basis of medical images. Our simulation methodology is entirely based on open source software. We consider seventeen different locations for the stoma incision (trephine) and we simulate the mechanical response of the abdominal wall when an intraabdominal pressure as high as 20 kPa is applied. We focus on factors related to the risk of parastomal hernia development such as the deformation experienced by the abdominal wall, the stress levels supported by its tissues and the corresponding level of trephine enlargement. No significant dependence was found between stoma location and the levels of abdominal wall deformations or stress supported by tissues, except for the case with a stoma located on the linea alba. Trephine perimeter and area respectively increased by as much as 44% and 85%. The level of trephine deformation depends on stoma location with considerably higher trephine enlargements found in stomas laterally located with respect to the rectus abdominis muscle.Financial support for the current research was granted by Universitat Rovira i Virgili, project number 2018PFR-URV-B2-29