Mirada CTS a la formación de una cultura ambientalista en estudiantes de secundaria en Angola. (Revisión)

This work is intended to assess, from philosophical positions, the relationship between science, technology and society (STS), as well as the training of an environmental culture in students of the Biology specialty at the Mutu Ya Kevela School in Luanda in Angola. Currently, the level of development reached by science and technology in the world is causing such significant transformations in the social, economic, political and cultural fields. In the face of environmental problems that are verified worldwide and in particular in Angola, the training of an environmental culture with a STS approach and philosophical foundations from the teaching-educational process, in addition to constituting a need and priority, is a way to raise the cultural level of the student in order to assume positive behavior in relation to the environment. Thus, the Biology subject plays an important role in this training due to the potential it presents.Con este trabajo se pretende valorar, desde posiciones filosóficas, la relación ciencia, tecnología y sociedad (CTS) a la formación de una cultura ambientalista desde la asignatura Biología en estudiantes de secundaria en la escuela Mutu Ya Kevela de Luanda en Angola. Actualmente, el nivel de desarrollo alcanzado por la ciencia y la tecnología en el mundo está causando transformaciones tan significativas en el ámbito social, económico, político y cultural. Delante de los problemas medioambientales que se verifican a nivel mundial y en particular en Angola, la formación de una cultura ambientalista con enfoque CTS y fundamentos filosóficos desde el proceso docente-educativo, además de constituir una necesidad y prioridad, es una vía para elevar el nivel cultural del estudiante de forma a asumir un comportamiento positivo con relación al medio ambiente. Así pues, la asignatura Biología, juega un papel importante en esa formación por las potencialidades que presenta

Field Validation of Generic Type 4 Wind Turbine Models Based on IEC and WECC Guidelines

The generic wind turbine models developed in recent years by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the Western Electricity Coordinated Council (WECC) are intended to meet the needs of public, standard, and relatively simple (small number of parameters and computational requirements) wind turbine and wind farm models used to conduct transient stability analysis. Moreover, the full-scale converter (FSC) wind turbine technology referred to as Type 4 by IEC and WECC, is increasingly used in current power systems due to its control benefits. Hence, the development of this generic model has become a priority.This study presents the validation of two generic Type 4 wind turbine models, which have been developed in accordance with the IEC and WECC guidelines, respectively. Field data collected from a real wind turbine located in a Spanish wind farm was used to validate both generic Type 4 wind turbine models following the IEC validation guidelines. Ten different test cases are considered, varying not only the depth and duration of the faults but also the load of the wind turbine. The parameters of the models were kept constant for all the simulation cases, aiming to evaluate the accuracy of the models when facing different voltage dips

Highly Anisotropic Organometal Halide Perovskite Nanowalls Grown by Glancing-Angle Deposition

Polarizers are ubiquitous components in current optoelectronic devices as displays or photographic cameras. Yet, control over light polarization is an unsolved challenge, since the main drawback of the existing display technologies is the significant optical losses. In such a context, organometal halide perovskites (OMHP) can play a decisive role given their flexible synthesis with tunable optical properties such as bandgap and photoluminescence, and excellent light emission with a low non-radiative recombination rate. Therefore, along with their outstanding electrical properties have elevated hybrid perovskites as the material of choice in photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Among the different OMHP nanostructures, nanowires and nanorods have lately arisen as key players in the control of light polarization for lighting or detector applications. Herein, the fabrication of highly aligned and anisotropic methylammonium lead iodide perovskite nanowalls by glancing-angle deposition, which is compatible with most substrates, is presented. Their high alignment degree provides the samples with anisotropic optical properties such as light absorption and photoluminescence. Furthermore, their implementation in photovoltaic devices provides them with a polarization-sensitive response. This facile vacuum-based approach embodies a milestone in the development of last-generation polarization-sensitive perovskite-based optoelectronic devices such as lighting appliances or self-powered photodetectors

Risk Factors for COVID-19 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A National, ENEIDA-Based Case–Control Study (COVID-19-EII)

(1) Scant information is available concerning the characteristics that may favour the acquisition of COVID-19 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess these differences between infected and noninfected patients with IBD. (2) This nationwide case-control study evaluated patients with inflammatory bowel disease with COVID-19 (cases) and without COVID-19 (controls) during the period March-July 2020 included in the ENEIDA of GETECCU. (3) A total of 496 cases and 964 controls from 73 Spanish centres were included. No differences were found in the basal characteristics between cases and controls. Cases had higher comorbidity Charlson scores (24% vs. 19%; p = 0.02) and occupational risk (28% vs. 10.5%; p < 0.0001) more frequently than did controls. Lockdown was the only protective measure against COVID-19 (50% vs. 70%; p < 0.0001). No differences were found in the use of systemic steroids, immunosuppressants or biologics between cases and controls. Cases were more often treated with 5-aminosalicylates (42% vs. 34%; p = 0.003). Having a moderate Charlson score (OR: 2.7; 95%CI: 1.3-5.9), occupational risk (OR: 2.9; 95%CI: 1.8-4.4) and the use of 5-aminosalicylates (OR: 1.7; 95%CI: 1.2-2.5) were factors for COVID-19. The strict lockdown was the only protective factor (OR: 0.1; 95%CI: 0.09-0.2). (4) Comorbidities and occupational exposure are the most relevant factors for COVID-19 in patients with IBD. The risk of COVID-19 seems not to be increased by immunosuppressants or biologics, with a potential effect of 5-aminosalicylates, which should be investigated further and interpreted with caution

The evolution of the ventilatory ratio is a prognostic factor in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients

Background: Mortality due to COVID-19 is high, especially in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of the study is to investigate associations between mortality and variables measured during the first three days of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 intubated at ICU admission. Methods: Multicenter, observational, cohort study includes consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to 44 Spanish ICUs between February 25 and July 31, 2020, who required intubation at ICU admission and mechanical ventilation for more than three days. We collected demographic and clinical data prior to admission; information about clinical evolution at days 1 and 3 of mechanical ventilation; and outcomes. Results: Of the 2,095 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 1,118 (53.3%) were intubated at day 1 and remained under mechanical ventilation at day three. From days 1 to 3, PaO2/FiO2 increased from 115.6 [80.0-171.2] to 180.0 [135.4-227.9] mmHg and the ventilatory ratio from 1.73 [1.33-2.25] to 1.96 [1.61-2.40]. In-hospital mortality was 38.7%. A higher increase between ICU admission and day 3 in the ventilatory ratio (OR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.07], p = 0.030) and creatinine levels (OR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.09], p = 0.005) and a lower increase in platelet counts (OR 0.96 [CI 0.93-1.00], p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher risk of death. No association between mortality and the PaO2/FiO2 variation was observed (OR 0.99 [CI 0.95 to 1.02], p = 0.47). Conclusions: Higher ventilatory ratio and its increase at day 3 is associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. No association was found in the PaO2/FiO2 variation

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Implementation of IEC 61400-27-1 Type 3 Model: Performance Analysis under Different Modeling Approaches

Forecasts for 2023 position wind energy as the third-largest renewable energy source in the world. This rapid growth brings with it the need to conduct transient stability studies to plan network operation activities and analyze the integration of wind power into the grid, where generic wind turbine models have emerged as the optimal solution. In this study, the generic Type 3 wind turbine model developed by Standard IEC 61400-27-1 was submitted to two voltage dips and implemented in two simulation tools: MATLAB/Simulink and DIgSILENT-PowerFactory. Since the Standard states that the responses of the models are independent of the software used, the active and reactive power results of both responses were compared following the IEC validation guidelines, finding, nevertheless, slight differences dependent on the specific features of each simulation software. The behavior of the generic models was assessed, and their responses were also compared with field measurements of an actual wind turbine in operation. Validation errors calculated were comprehensively analyzed, and the differences in the implementation processes of both software tools are highlighted. The outcomes obtained help to further establish the limitations of the generic wind turbine models, thus achieving a more widespread use of Standard IEC 61400-27-1

Generic Type 3 Wind Turbine Model Based on IEC 61400-27-1: Parameter Analysis and Transient Response under Voltage Dips

This paper analyzes the response under voltage dips of a Type 3 wind turbine topology based on IEC 61400-27-1. The evolution of both active power and rotational speed is discussed in detail when some of the most relevant control parameters, included in the mechanical, active power and pitch control models, are modified. Extensive results are also included to explore the influence of these parameters on the model dynamic response. This work thus provides an extensive analysis of the generic Type 3 wind turbine model and provides an estimation of parameters not previously discussed in the specific literature. Indeed, the International Standard IEC 61400-27-1, recently published in February 2015, defines these generic dynamic simulation models for wind turbines, but does not provide values for the parameters to simulate the response of these models. Thus, there is a pressing need to establish correlations between IEC generic models and specific wind turbine manufacturer models to estimate suitable parameters for simulation purposes. Extensive results and simulations are also included in the paper