La confusa complejidad estructural del Palau Güell

The rational organization of the façades of the Palau Güell does not reveal —according to the authors of this paper— the building's spatial wealth nor the complexity of its structure. A structure which has a clear general conception in the upper floors, becomes more complicated in the lower ones, where one can see that Gaudí had to reinforce specific points as he went along when he realized their inadequacy for future work. These "reformulations" the authors believe, are not brilliant structural solutions and, as a whole, the structure of the building must be described as confusing. They, therefore, ask themselves whether this structure is the skeleton of an architectural masterpiece and propose that the answer serve as a starting point for a revision of the work of Gaudí.La racional organización de las fachadas del Palau Güell no acusan —según los autores de este trabajo— la riqueza espacial del edificio ni la complejidad de su estructura. Una estructura que tiene una concepción general clara en las plantas superiores pero que se complica en las inferiores, en las que se aprecia que Gaudí hubo de reforzar sobre la marcha determinados puntos al darse cuenta de su inadecuación en función de la obra realizada después. Estos "retornos", opinan los autores, no pueden ofrecer soluciones estructurales brillantes y, en conjunto, la estructura del edificio cabe calificarla de confusa. Por ello se preguntan si esta estructura puede ser el esqueleto de una obra maestra de la arquitectura y proponen que la respuesta sirva como punto de partida para una revisión de la obra de Gaudí

Propuesta de metodología para la estimación de la resistencia del hormigón en un punto de una estructura a través de ensayos de información, en éste y/u otros puntos

The destructive character of the extraction of test specimens, which at present is the only test that provides trustworthy data with regard to strength, makes it necessary to assign a strength to areas in the structure that are at a greater or lesser distance from the extraction points. &#13; The variables of the problem are the number of extractions and their emplacement. At one end we would have the case in which samples are taken from all the structural parts at the risk of weakening the structure, above all during the sampling process itself, as well as the negative financial and time factors, that this procedure would imply. At the other far end we would place the case of evaluating the strength in a great structural area on the basis of the results from breaking a small quantity of test pieces, by way of an extrapolation without the required guarantees.&#13; Naturally, the number of test and their emplacement situates the problem in between the two above mentioned extremes. The necessary extrapolation of some results that by nature are not exhaustive, is then carried out with greater or lesser guarantee with regard to advance knowledge of the execution of the work: the greater this knowledge is, the easier it is to establish the strength relation between the specimens and the pieces, which without being represented directly by samples, can adapt themselves to their characteristics, either by proximity or known execution rhythm. &#13; The most important problem arises when there is not enough knowledge on how the work was carried out, so that it is impossible to relate the strength of the test specimens with the actual strength of the rest of the structure under investigation. &#13; In this case it does not seem possible to establish the relation between two points in the structure other than on the basis of the actual physical distances and the results obtained through the test specimens. This report dealts with the application of the Information theory to quantify these relations and to group the points at which the concrete strength is estimated.<br><br>El carácter destructivo de la extracción de probetas testigo, actualmente el único ensayo de información que facilita datos de partida fidedignos desde el punto de vista resistente, obliga a asignar una resistencia a zonas de la estructura más o menos lejanas de los puntos de extracción. &#13; Las variables del problema son el número de extracciones y su localización. En un extremo tendríamos el caso de la obtención de testigos en todas las piezas estructurales, con el consiguiente riesgo de debilitación de la estructura, sobre todo durante las operaciones necesarias para ello, y el gravoso factor económico y de tiempo que este planteamiento lleva aparejado. En el otro extremo se situaría el caso de la evaluación de la resistencia de una gran zona de estructura en base a los resultados de la rotura de un mínimo número de probetas, a través de una extrapolación sin las necesarias garantías. &#13; Naturalmente, el número de ensayos de Información y su localización sitúa el problema en una región intermedia entre los dos extremos expuestos. La necesaria extrapolación de unos resultados, forzosamente no exhaustivos, se realiza, entonces, con una mayor o menor garantía en función del conocimiento previo de la ejecución de la obra: cuanto mayor es este conocimiento más fácilmente se podrá establecer la relación de resistencias entre los testigos y las piezas que, sin tener probetas que los representen directamente, puedan, por proximidad o ritmo de ejecución conocido, asimilarse a las características de dichos testigos. &#13; El problema más grave se plantea cuando el desconocimiento de la ejecución de la obra no permite establecer nexos de conocimiento entre los resultados obtenidos en determinados testigos y el resto de la zona de estructura cuya capacidad resistente se trata de evaluar. &#13; En este caso no parece posible el establecimiento de relaciones entre dos puntos de la estructura más que basándose en las distancias físicas y los resultados obtenidos en los testigos ensayados. Este trabajo trata de la aplicación de la teoría de la información para cuantificar estas relaciones y agrupar los puntos en los cuales el hormigón es objeto de estimación resistente

Estructura mesozoica y cenozoica del sector Ladruñán-Castellote (Cordillera Ibérica)

Trabajo de tecónica-sedimentación en el campo de la geología.<br /

Pinturas pigmentadas con magnetita dopada : evaluación preliminar de propiedades anticorrosivas

RESUMEN: La magnetita pura y las magnetitas dopadas con cobre y cromo se sintetizaron a escala de laboratorio. El comportamiento relativo de estos productos como pigmentos anticorrosivos se comparó con la hematita disponible comercialmente (óxido rojo del hierro). Se prepararon mezclas especiales de los pigmentos con resina epoxy libre de solvente manteniendo el contenido del volumen de pigmento cerca del valor práctico crítico. El propósito es distinguir la acción inhibidora de los pigmentos con poca influencia de las características de la barrera de la resina epóxica. El comportamiento de las mezclas aplicadas sobre el acero se caracterizó mediante exposición acelerada al aire libre, en pruebas alternadas de inmersión y en condiciones de inmersión total. Esta última prueba se supervisó con medidas de potencial y de impedancia de circuito abierto, y fueron complementadas con evaluación de películas libres. Los resultados demuestran que la magnetita no es un pigmento inerte, y que la presencia de elementos dopantes puede mejorar el comportamiento de las pinturas anticorrosivas de magnetita. Basados en esos resultados, se sugirió una formulación completa con pigmento de magnetita, solvente y aditivos y se evaluó en laboratorio, teniendo como objetivo el uso posible como pintura anticorrosivaABSTRACT: Pure magnetite and magnetite doped with three different concentrations of chromium and copper was lab synthesized. The relative performance of these products as anticorrosive pigments is compared with commercially available hematite (red iron oxide). Special mixtures of the pigments with a solventless epoxy binder were prepared maintaining the pigment volume contents near the practical critical value. The purpose was to distinguish the inhibitive action of pigments with the least possible influence from the barrier properties of the epoxy resin. The performance of mixtures applied on mild steel is characterized in accelerated outdoor exposure, in alternated immersion tests and in total immersion conditions. The latter test was monitored with open circuit potential and impedance measurements. Complementary tests with freestanding films were also performed. The results show that magnetite is not an inert pigment, Therefore presence of doping elements can improve the performance of anticorrosive magnetite paints. Based on this result, a complete formulation with pigment, solvent and additives is suggested and preliminarily tested in the lab aiming at producing an anticorrosive primer

Quality of life and functional outcomes with tapentadol prolonged release in chronic musculoskeletal pain: post hoc analysis

Aims: To investigate quality of life (QOL) and functionality changes in chronic pain during tapentadol prolonged release (PR) treatment. Patients &amp; methods: Post hoc analysis of data from three Phase III trials in patients with osteoarthritis knee pain or low back pain. QOL and functionality changes were assessed by SF-36 scores. Results: All SF-36 subdomain scores improved progressively to week 3 of tapentadol titration and were sustained during 12-week maintenance treatment. Improvements in SF-36 scores were similar between tapentadol dose groups (e.g., 200 to &lt;300 mg vs &gt;= 500 mg), with no greater effect from higher doses. QOL and functionality improvements were consistently greater with tapentadol PR than oxycodone controlled release. Conclusion: Tapentadol PR provides consistent, clinically relevant improvements in QOL and functionality in chronic pain

Corticosteroid-free immunosuppression with tacrolimus following induction with daclizumab: A large randomized clinical study

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Myocardial commitment from human pluripotent stem cells: Rapid production of human heart grafts

Genome editing on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) together with the development of protocols for organ decellularization opens the door to the generation of autologous bioartificial hearts. Here we sought to generate for the first time a fluorescent reporter human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line by means of Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) to efficiently produce cardiomyocyte-like cells (CLCs) from hPSCs and repopulate decellularized human heart ventricles for heart engineering. In our hands, targeting myosin heavy chain locus (MYH6) with mCherry fluorescent reporter by TALEN technology in hESCs did not alter major pluripotent-related features, and allowed for the definition of a robust protocol for CLCs production also from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in 14 days. hPSCs-derived CLCs (hPSCs-CLCs) were next used to recellularize acellular cardiac scaffolds. Electrophysiological responses encountered when hPSCs-CLCs were cultured on ventricular decellularized extracellular matrix (vdECM) correlated with significant increases in the levels of expression of different ion channels determinant for calcium homeostasis and heart contractile function. Overall, the approach described here allows for the rapid generation of human cardiac grafts from hPSCs, in a total of 24 days, providing a suitable platform for cardiac engineering and disease modeling in the human setting

Joc competitiu en línea per aprendre estadística

Un diagnòstic de les pràctiques d'estadística va portar a proposar per a una nova assignatura un joc competitiu en línia de presa de decisions basades en l'estadística. Aquest utilitza dades simulades i un web en què els estudiants adquireixen dades consumint un pressupost, hi introdueixen les decisions que prenen i fan el seguiment de la seva posició en el joc. El resultat final (PRESTON, PRàctiques d'ESTadística ON-line) ja s'ha utilitzat amb èxit a l'ETSEIB (2 quadrimestres, 400 estudiants).Peer Reviewe

Mortality comparison between the first and second/third waves among 3,795 critical COVID-19 patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU : A multicentre retrospective cohort study

It is unclear whether the changes in critical care throughout the pandemic have improved the outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs). We conducted a retrospective cohort study in adults with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to 73 ICUs from Spain, Andorra and Ireland between February 2020 and March 2021. The first wave corresponded with the period from February 2020 to June 2020, whereas the second/third waves occurred from July 2020 to March 2021. The primary outcome was ICU mortality between study periods. Mortality predictors and differences in mortality between COVID-19 waves were identified using logistic regression. As of March 2021, the participating ICUs had included 3795 COVID-19 pneumonia patients, 2479 (65·3%) and 1316 (34·7%) belonging to the first and second/third waves, respectively. Illness severity scores predicting mortality were lower in the second/third waves compared with the first wave according with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation system (median APACHE II score 12 [IQR 9-16] vs 14 [IQR 10-19]) and the organ failure assessment score (median SOFA 4 [3-6] vs 5 [3-7], p <0·001). The need of invasive mechanical ventilation was high (76·1%) during the whole study period. However, a significant increase in the use of high flow nasal cannula (48·7% vs 18·2%, p <0·001) was found in the second/third waves compared with the first surge. Significant changes on treatments prescribed were also observed, highlighting the remarkable increase on the use of corticosteroids to up to 95.9% in the second/third waves. A significant reduction on the use of tocilizumab was found during the study (first wave 28·9% vs second/third waves 6·2%, p <0·001), and a negligible administration of lopinavir/ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine, and interferon during the second/third waves compared with the first wave. Overall ICU mortality was 30·7% (n = 1166), without significant differences between study periods (first wave 31·7% vs second/third waves 28·8%, p = 0·06). No significant differences were found in ICU mortality between waves according to age subsets except for the subgroup of 61-75 years of age, in whom a reduced unadjusted ICU mortality was observed in the second/third waves (first 38·7% vs second/third 34·0%, p = 0·048). Non-survivors were older, with higher severity of the disease, had more comorbidities, and developed more complications. After adjusting for confounding factors through a multivariable analysis, no significant association was found between the COVID-19 waves and mortality (OR 0·81, 95% CI 0·64-1·03; p = 0·09). Ventilator-associated pneumonia rate increased significantly during the second/third waves and it was independently associated with ICU mortality (OR 1·48, 95% CI 1·19-1·85, p <0·001). Nevertheless, a significant reduction both in the ICU and hospital length of stay in survivors was observed during the second/third waves. Despite substantial changes on supportive care and management, we did not find significant improvement on case-fatality rates among critical COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Ricardo Barri Casanovas Foundation (RBCF2020) and SEMICYU