Bioestabilización de suelos e interacción con los procesos de compactación para la producción de estructuras ingenieriles de tierra

Interaction between microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) and compaction procedures to stabilise raw soil materials has been studied with the aim of producing earthen engineering structures. Initial tests to optimise MICP in aqueous medium and in selected soils were performed. MICP and compaction were finally applied to assess medium-size elements. The main result was that sandy soils should be compacted before irrigation treatment to close the existing voids and prevent bacterial sweeping, whereas clayey soils should be compacted after irrigation treatment to avoid the plugging effect. MICP improved small sand soil compressive strength by up to 32% over the value reached by compaction alone. However, MICP had no positive effect on coarse soils and soils with an optimum particle size distribution: MICP treatment was not able to fill large connected voids in the first case and it caused little void generation due to bacteria sporulation in the second.Se estudió la interacción entre la precipitación de carbonato de calcio inducida por bacterias (MICP) y los procesos de compactación para estabilizar suelos naturales para producir estructuras de tierra. Se realizaron ensayos iniciales en medio acuoso para optimizar la MICP. El uso conjunto de MICP y compactación fue evaluado en elementos de tamaño medio. Los resultados indican que los suelos arenosos deben ser compactados antes de los tratamientos por irrigación para cerrar los huecos evitando el lavado de bacterias, mientras que los suelos arcillosos deben ser compactados después de las irrigaciones para evitar colmatar la superficie. La MICP mejoró la resistencia a compresión de la arena fina en un 32% en comparación con únicamente compactar. No obstante, no mejoró la resistencia de suelos granulares ni con una distribución de partículas óptima, por la interconexión de poros en el primer caso y la generación de vacíos por esporulación en el segundo

Non-Destructive Techniques for Characterising Earthen Structures

Earthen architecture is one of the most relevant building technologies among heritage structures. However, mechanical properties are commonly obtained from destructive tests. To contribute at changing this trend, two non-destructive mechanical techniques (ultrasound and modal analysis) are studied to determine their ability at characterizing earthen materials and their possible correlation. To achieve these purposes, twenty cubic-shaped earthen specimens were produced for testing the capability of ultrasound transmission method to control moisture content and its evolution during drying process at different environments. Additionally, a real-scale rammed earth wall was built to assess the feasibility of using ultrasound technique to determine elastic dynamic Young modulus. This analysis was validated by indirect comparison with experimental modal analysis test results. The most important findings are that the relationship between moisture content and ultrasound transmission speed is linear. This information is useful to control the drying process of earthen materials and to control the moisture content distribution on larger in-service structures. Finally, numerical simulation using ultrasound transmission data as input information allow to predict the vibrational response of the tested wall with an error around 3%

Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity and prevalent heart failure: a prespecified analysis of the SELECT trial

Background: Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in people with overweight or obesity, but the effects of this drug on outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and heart failure are unknown. We report a prespecified analysis of the effect of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2·4 mg on ischaemic and heart failure cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to investigate if semaglutide was beneficial in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with a history of heart failure compared with placebo; if there was a difference in outcome in patients designated as having heart failure with preserved ejection fraction compared with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; and if the efficacy and safety of semaglutide in patients with heart failure was related to baseline characteristics or subtype of heart failure. Methods: The SELECT trial was a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled, event-driven phase 3 trial in 41 countries. Adults aged 45 years and older, with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater and established cardiovascular disease were eligible for the study. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) with a block size of four using an interactive web response system in a double-blind manner to escalating doses of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide over 16 weeks to a target dose of 2·4 mg, or placebo. In a prespecified analysis, we examined the effect of semaglutide compared with placebo in patients with and without a history of heart failure at enrolment, subclassified as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or unclassified heart failure. Endpoints comprised MACE (a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and cardiovascular death); a composite heart failure outcome (cardiovascular death or hospitalisation or urgent hospital visit for heart failure); cardiovascular death; and all-cause death. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03574597. Findings: Between Oct 31, 2018, and March 31, 2021, 17 604 patients with a mean age of 61·6 years (SD 8·9) and a mean BMI of 33·4 kg/m2 (5·0) were randomly assigned to receive semaglutide (8803 [50·0%] patients) or placebo (8801 [50·0%] patients). 4286 (24·3%) of 17 604 patients had a history of investigator-defined heart failure at enrolment: 2273 (53·0%) of 4286 patients had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, 1347 (31·4%) had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and 666 (15·5%) had unclassified heart failure. Baseline characteristics were similar between patients with and without heart failure. Patients with heart failure had a higher incidence of clinical events. Semaglutide improved all outcome measures in patients with heart failure at random assignment compared with those without heart failure (hazard ratio [HR] 0·72, 95% CI 0·60-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·64-0·98 for the heart failure composite endpoint; 0·76, 0·59-0·97 for cardiovascular death; and 0·81, 0·66-1·00 for all-cause death; all pinteraction>0·19). Treatment with semaglutide resulted in improved outcomes in both the heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HR 0·65, 95% CI 0·49-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·58-1·08 for the composite heart failure endpoint) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction groups (0·69, 0·51-0·91 for MACE; 0·75, 0·52-1·07 for the composite heart failure endpoint), although patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had higher absolute event rates than those with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. For MACE and the heart failure composite, there were no significant differences in benefits across baseline age, sex, BMI, New York Heart Association status, and diuretic use. Serious adverse events were less frequent with semaglutide versus placebo, regardless of heart failure subtype. Interpretation: In patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diease and overweight or obesity, treatment with semaglutide 2·4 mg reduced MACE and composite heart failure endpoints compared with placebo in those with and without clinical heart failure, regardless of heart failure subtype. Our findings could facilitate prescribing and result in improved clinical outcomes for this patient group. Funding: Novo Nordisk

Follow that fish: Uncovering the hidden blue economy in coral reef fisheries

Despite their importance for human well-being, nearshore fisheries are often data poor, undervalued, and underappreciated in policy and development programs. We assess the value chain for nearshore Hawaiian coral reef fisheries, mapping post-catch distribution and disposition, and quantifying associated monetary, food security, and cultural values. We estimate that the total annual value of the nearshore fishery in Hawai'i is $10.3-$16.4 million, composed of non-commercial ($7.2-$12.9 million) and commercial ($2.97 million licensed +$148,500-$445,500 unlicensed) catch. Hawaii's nearshore fisheries provide >7 million meals annually, with most (>5 million) from the non-commercial sector. Over a third (36%) of meals were planktivores, 26% piscivores, 21% primary consumers, and 18% secondary consumers. Only 62% of licensed commercial catch is accounted for in purchase reports, leaving 38% of landings unreported in sales. Value chains are complex, with major buyers for the commercial fishery including grocery stores (66%), retailers (19%), wholesalers (14%), and restaurants (<1%), who also trade and sell amongst themselves. The bulk of total nearshore catch (72-74%) follows a short value chain, with non-commercial fishers keeping catch for household consumption or community sharing. A small amount (~37,000kg) of reef fish-the equivalent of 1.8% of local catch-is imported annually into Hawai'i, 23,000kg of which arrives as passenger luggage on commercial flights from Micronesia. Evidence of exports to the US mainland exists, but is unquantifiable given existing data. Hawaiian nearshore fisheries support fundamental cultural values including subsistence, activity, traditional knowledge, and social cohesion. These small-scale coral reef fisheries provide large-scale benefits to the economy, food security, and cultural practices of Hawai'i, underscoring the need for sustainable management. This research highlights the value of information on the value chain for small-scale production systems, making the hidden economy of these fisheries visible and illuminating a range of conservation interventions applicable to Hawai'i and beyond

Publisher: Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade-Zemun UDC 619:636 DOI:10.2298/BAH1004155P IMPROVED DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGY FOR FOOT-AND- MOUTH DISEASE IN BULGARIA

Abstract: Foot – and – mouth- disease is severe, highly contagious disease of cloven – hoofed animals that affects large animal livestock species and various wildlife species. Different countries has a different FMD status which require a disparate approach defining the diagnostic and control strategy. A variety of new diagnostic tests and procedures was developed to improve FMD laboratory diagnosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the contemporary diagnostic tools and the ability of our laboratory to detect FMD virus or viral genome in field samples and cell culture fluids using an Ag ELISA, TaqMan real-time RT-PCR and Virus isolation combined with chromatographic- LFD (lateral flow devises) tests. Key words: Foot – and – mouth – disease, molecular diagnostics, ELISA, Real time RT-PCR, FMD viruses, viral genom

Soil biostabilisation and interaction with compaction processes for earthen engineering structures production

Interaction between microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) and compaction procedures to stabilise raw soil materials has been studied with the aim of producing earthen engineering structures. Initial tests to optimise MICP in aqueous medium and in selected soils were performed. MICP and compaction were finally applied to assess medium-size elements. The main result was that sandy soils should be compacted before irrigation treatment to close the existing voids and prevent bacterial sweeping, whereas clayey soils should be compacted after irrigation treatment to avoid the plugging effect. MICP improved small sand soil compressive strength by up to 32% over the value reached by compaction alone. However, MICP had no positive effect on coarse soils and soils with an optimum particle size distribution: MICP treatment was not able to fill large connected voids in the first case and it caused little void generation due to bacteria sporulation in the second.</jats:p

Improved diagnostic strategy for foot-and-mouth disease in Bulgaria

Foot-and-mouth-disease is severe, highly contagious disease of cloven - hoofed animals that affects large animal livestock species and various wildlife species. Different countries has a different FMD status which require a disparate approach defining the diagnostic and control strategy. A variety of new diagnostic tests and procedures was developed to improve FMD laboratory diagnosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the contemporary diagnostic tools and the ability of our laboratory to detect FMD virus or viral genome in field samples and cell culture fluids using an Ag ELISA, TaqMan real-time RT-PCR and Virus isolation combined with chromatographic - LFD (lateral flow devises) tests. .</jats:p