La edición y el acceso a la literatura y los materiales GLTBQ

A la pregunta sobre si existe un interés profundo en el mercado editorial por la temática gay, lesbiana, transexual, bisexual y queer (GLTBQ) o si se trata de un simple “nicho” en alza, suele responderse desde dos perspectivas casi antagónicas: entre quienes se atreven a opinar —no sin razón en algunas ocasiones— que detrás de toda moda o tendencia del mercado editorial hay un sinfín de intereses creados y los que creemos que aún no es sufi ciente median no sólo algunos kilómetros de distancia, sino, sobre todo, motivos distintos y a veces hasta enfrentados. Sin duda los primeros responderían que sí, mientras que los segundos responderíamos seguramente lo mismo, pero con algunos matices. Los primeros alegarían falta de criterio, paja en un mercado saturado de títulos inútiles y falta de motivos, falta de “visibilidad”; los segundos nos acogeríamos a un derecho básico, el de la información —que es la base de la educación en la diferencia..

Numerical simulation of a binary communication channel: Comparison between a replica calculation and an exact solution

The mutual information of a single-layer perceptron with $N$ Gaussian inputs and $P$ deterministic binary outputs is studied by numerical simulations. The relevant parameters of the problem are the ratio between the number of output and input units, $\alpha = P/N$, and those describing the two-point correlations between inputs. The main motivation of this work refers to the comparison between the replica computation of the mutual information and an analytical solution valid up to $\alpha \sim O(1)$. The most relevant results are: (1) the simulation supports the validity of the analytical prediction, and (2) it also verifies a previously proposed conjecture that the replica solution interpolates well between large and small values of $\alpha$.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX fil

Volcanic ash leaching as a means of tracing the environmental impact of the 2011 Grímsvötn eruption, Iceland

The Grímsvötn volcanic eruption, from 21 to 28 May, 2011, was the largest eruption of the Grímsvötn Volcanic System since 1873, with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of magnitude 4. The main geochemical features of the potential environmental impact of the volcanic ash-water interaction were determined using two different leaching methods as proxies (batch and vertical flow-through column experiments). Ash consists of glass with minor amounts of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, diopside, olivine and iron sulphide; this latter mineral phase is very rare in juvenile ash. Ash grain morphology and size reflect the intense interaction of magma and water during eruption. Batch and column leaching tests in deionised water indicate that Na, K, Ca, Mg, Si, Cl, S and F had the highest potential geochemical fluxes to the environment. Release of various elements from volcanic ash took place immediately through dissolution of soluble salts from the ash surface. Element solubilities of Grímsvötn ash regarding bulk ash composition were <1 %. Combining the element solubilities and the total estimated mass of tephra (7.29 × 1014 g), the total inputs of environmentally important elements were estimated to be 8.91 × 109 g Ca, 7.02 × 109 g S, 1.10 × 109 g Cl, 9.91 × 108 g Mg, 9.91 × 108 g Fe and 1.45 × 108 g P The potential environmental problems were mainly associated with the release of F (5.19 × 109 g)We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of ICTJA-CSIC labGEOTOP (infrastructure co-funded by ERDF-EU Ref. CSIC08-4E-001) and DRX (infrastructure co-funded by ERDF-EU Ref. CSIC10-4E-141) Surveys (J. Ibañez, J. Elvira and S. Alvarez) and the CCiTUB (SEM Unit) in the analytical work. Financial support was provided by the QUECA Project (MINECO, CGL2011-23307). We appreciate the invaluable comments of Dr. N. Olgun on a previous version of the manuscript. This study was carried out in the framework of the Research Consolidated Groups GEOPAM (Generalitat de Catalunya, 2014 SGR 869) and GEOVOL and the Associated Unit CSIC-UB UAGEPE (UA 285P01)Peer reviewe

Preface "Nonlinear processes in oceanic and atmospheric flows"

Nonlinear phenomena are essential ingredients in many oceanic and atmospheric processes, and successful understanding of them benefits from multidisciplinary collaboration between oceanographers, meteorologists, physicists and mathematicians. The present Special Issue on ``Nonlinear Processes in Oceanic and Atmospheric Flows'' contains selected contributions from attendants to the workshop which, in the above spirit, was held in Castro Urdiales, Spain, in July 2008. Here we summarize the Special Issue contributions, which include papers on the characterization of ocean transport in the Lagrangian and in the Eulerian frameworks, generation and variability of jets and waves, interactions of fluid flow with plankton dynamics or heavy drops, scaling in meteorological fields, and statistical properties of El Ni\~no Southern Oscillation.Comment: This is the introductory article to a Special Issue on "Nonlinear Processes in Oceanic and Atmospheric Flows'', published in the journal Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, where the different contributions are summarized. The Special Issue itself is freely available from http://www.nonlin-processes-geophys.net/special_issue103.htm

Foundations of character: methodological aspects of a study of character development in three- to six-year-old children with a focus on sharing behaviours

This article focuses on methodological issues arising in a study of character development, using illustrations of ‘sharing behaviours.’ Based primarily in six early years settings in southeast England the research records naturalistic observations of peer interactions for 55 children aged three to six years. Applying grounded theory to the processes of observing, analysing and interpreting evidence required a cautious and collectively reflective approach. The methodology sought to moderate the influence of the researchers' prior knowledge of ‘grand theories’ of moral development and assumptions about relevance to the observation records. The study's originality lay in the exploration of moral development without reference to any particular grand theory as an explanatory framework; and in the reluctance to be drawn to potentially simplistic rationalisations of the children's intentions on the basis of their observed behaviours. Exploring young children's subjective experiences, this research provides insights into the intricacy of this process, steering away from ‘neat’ findings and attempting to reflect the sophistication of the children's skilful and sometimes surprising negotiations of moral dilemmas. Implications for practice relate to the complexities involved in attempts to unravel the developing moral characters of young children and the practice through which this may be nurtured

Impacto ambiental de la interacción agua-ceniza en la erupción del 2011 del volcán Grimsvötn (Islandia)

The Grímsvötn volcanic eruption, from 21 to 28 May, 2011, was the largest eruption of the Grímsvötn Volcanic System since 1873. The main geochemical features of the potential environmental impact of the volcanic ash-water interaction were determined using two different leaching methods as proxies (batch and vertical flow through column experiments). The main findings reveal that Na, K, Ca, Mg, Si, Cl, S and F show the largest geochemical fluxes caused by the interaction of water and ash. Additionally, the significant amounts of some of these elements (Ca, S and Mg) together with P, Cl, Fe, which are usually considered as macro/micronutrients, demonstrates the fertilising potential of the May 2011 emitted ash. On the other hand, release of F highlights the possible environmental problems arising from ash fallout on land or into fresh water syste ms. It is noteworthy that the chemical release is maximal during the first few hours of contact between tephra and water due to the dissolution of soluble salts from the ash surface. As time progresses, these constituents are exhausted, the release drops considerably and elements are freed instead by the incongruent dissolution of the volcanic glass.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el proyecto QUECA (MINECO, CGL2011-23307).Peer Reviewe

Surgical management of a life-threatening retro-pharyngeal haematoma following trans-oesophageal echocardiography = Trattamento chirurgico di un pericoloso ematoma retrofaringeo, sviluppatosi a seguito di un\u2019ecocardiografia transesofagea

Nonostante siano state descritte complicanze potenzialmente letali, l\u2019ecocardiografia transesofagea viene considerata una procedura diagnostica sicura. Scopo del presente lavoro \ue8 sottolineare come, nei casi di voluminosi ematomi secondari a tale procedura, possa diventare indispensabile il ricorso alla chirurgia per tutelare la vita del paziente. Nel caso qui descritto, un paziente affetto da spondilosi cervicale e in terapia anticoagulante ha sviluppato, a seguito di un\u2019ecocardiografia transesofagea, un ematoma retrofaringeo tanto voluminoso da determinare un\u2019ostruzione delle vie aeree superiori. Per assicurarne la perviet\ue0 \ue8 stato necessario ricorrere a una tracheotomia, l\u2019ematoma, invece, \ue8 stato drenato per via transcervicale. Il paziente \ue8 guarito completamente in 10 giorni. Il chirurgo otorinolaringoiatrico dovrebbe essere a conoscenza, non solo di questa rara complicanza, ma anche della necessit\ue0 di un suo trattamento chirurgico.Trans-oesophageal echocardiography is generally considered a safe procedure, but occasional life-threatening complications have been reported. The aim of this clinical investigation is to outline the need of surgical management in cases of large retro-pharyngeal haematoma following trans-oesophageal echocardiography. In the case reported here, a patient with cervical spondylosis on anti-coagulant therapy was referred to the Head and Neck Department because of a retro-pharyngeal haematoma with severe upper airway obstruction following transoesophageal echocardiography. Tracheotomy was required to guarantee respiratory function, while trans-cervical surgery was performed to evacuate the haematoma. Total recovery was achieved within 10 days. In conclusion, the head and neck surgeon should consider the need of surgical management in cases of retro-pharyngeal haematoma following trans-oesophageal echocardiography

Noninvasive imaging methods for evaluating cardiovascular involvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis before and after anti-TNF drug treatment

Aim: To use 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography, and conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography to detect subclinical left ventricular myocardial dysfunction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Thirty RA outpatients were assessed before and after 18 months of treatment with antiTNF drugs, along with 30 healthy controls. Cardiovascular risk was assessed by means of ultrasound carotid assessment and comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation (conventional and speckle-tracking calculation). Results: The speckle-tracking analyses were significantly different between the two groups, with global longitudinal strain deformation in the apical four-chamber view being significantly lower in the RA patients (median: 18.78%, interquartile range [IQR]: 15.80-20.82% vs 20.16%, IQR: 19.03-21.89%; [p &lt;0.05]). After 18 months of biological treatment, global longitudinal strain showed a significant improvement (18.78%, IQR: 15.80-20.82 vs 19.24%, IQR: 18.23-19.98; [p &lt; 0.01]), such as for DAS28 (4.80, IQR: 4.65-5.22 vs 2.78; IQR: 2.52-2.99; [p &lt; 0.01]). Conclusion: Speckle-tracking echocardiography showed that left ventricular myocardial longitudinal strain was impaired in the RA patients. Lay abstract: The different structures of the heart may be affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related inflammation, with the most frequent lesion being conduction defects, followed by pericarditis, cardiomyopathy and valve disease. We demonstrated, in a study involving 30 RA patients and using speckle-tracking echocardiography, that left ventricular myocardial longitudinal strain was impaired in the RA patients, in the absence of any clinical or other echocardiographic evidence of cardiovascular disease. The results suggest that inflammation is associated with myocardial alteration, as it returns to healthy controls levels upon therapy with anti-TNF drugs

Correction of hypovitaminosis D improved global longitudinal strain earlier than left ventricular ejection fraction in cardiovascular older adults after orthopaedic surgery

Background Cardiovascular diseases and insufficient levels of vitamin D are risk factors for adverse surgical outcomes, and they are both commonly present among older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Giving the cardiovascular effects of vitamin D, pre-operative diagnosis of hypovitaminosis D would be a valuable step for the implementation of supplementation protocols. We investigated if the normalization of serum 25 [OH] D could ameliorate cardiac performance of older adults suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Methods We enrolled 47 older adults scheduled for major orthopaedic surgery and suffering from hypovitaminosis D. Patients underwent 6-months calcifediol supplementation with a starting dose at first post-operative day of 50 \u3bcg/die in liquid preparation. Down-Titration to 20 \u3bcg/die at 3-months assessment was planned. Cardiac performance was evaluated by measuring left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) during pre-operative assessments and at 1-month, 3-months, 6-months follow-ups. Results Six months of calcifediol supplementation were associated with a significant improvement of both LVEF (+ 3.94%; 95% CI: -4.0789 to -0.8232; P &lt; 0.01) and GLS (+ 18.56%; Z = -5.895; P &lt; 0.0001). Conclusions Calcifediol supplementation normalized serum 25 [OH] D concentration after 1-month treatment. GLS offered better insights into myocardial contractile amelioration than LVEF, thus being useful for detecting earlier subclinical changes that may anticipate hemodynamic modifications