Estudio y análisis de los barros de origen volcánico en las Islas Canarias. Aplicación y adaptación a la creación en la escultura cerámica

El barro de origen volcánico de Canarias es un material que está asociado a la cerámica prehispánica y a los oficios tradicionales de la loza popular y la tejería, pero que en el campo escultórico ha sido poco considerado. Con el objetivo de verificar su adaptación o inadecuación en este campo, esta investigación aporta una caracterización científica de veinticinco muestras de suelo del Archipiélago que permite su selección y descarte para la incorporación en pastas cerámicas con fines escultóricos. El desarrollo de este trabajo parte de contrastar las descripciones reflejadas en las investigaciones generadas por arqueólogos sobre cerámica aborigen con las anotaciones recogidas en la documentación etnográfica sobre los procesos de elaboración de la cerámica tradicional y la teja. Esta visión general del conocimiento sobre las arcillas como materia prima y el contacto con alfareros/as posibilitaron la selección de las muestras extraídas y de las que se ha elaborado un estudio sistemático. La caracterización de dichas muestras comprende la identificación de minerales presentes, el comportamiento en ensayos geotécnicos y la contracción tras la cocción a 900º C. Todos estos estudios aportan datos objetivos y comparables que justifican las incidencias que se producen durante los procesos de ejecución, secado y cocción de las pruebas de verificación creativa realizadas. Estas pruebas suponen la confirmación de que el barro canario tiene posibilidades en la escultura cerámica, lo cual se ha corroborado a través de la realización de dos piezas que responden a distintas líneas de creación ya iniciadas con anterioridad y cuatro nuevas esculturas que se han originado a partir de esta investigación y en la que se funden aspectos del paisaje volcánico, el desarrollo de las pastas elaboradas y los procesos de construcción cerámicos

Materias primas en las pastas cerámicas de origen volcánico en la cerámica canaria: descripción y caracterización geotécnica

[EN] The semi-artisanal weaving factory is a trade that has practically disappeared in the Canary Islands, and the production of earthenware is being conserved by a few potters who have shown their particular interest in maintaining the craft, and now their pieces are just decorative objects or souvenirs, far from the domestic use they used to have. The current generation uses a very similar terminology for raw materials, regardless of the island where they work. This is due to the fact that they consult the bibliographic sources about the last loceras of the Archipelago, to the greater communication between loceros/as because of the contact between themselves in insular handcraft fairs, or regional ones... as well as in promotion congresses organized by institutions. However, when ceramics were a livelihood in particular potters' centres of the Archipelago, the loceras called the materials according to the local terms transmitted to them by their predecessors, and the same term not always identified equal characteristics materials. In this work, ethnographic references on raw materials are collected, providing an overview and comparison of them, while an attempt of description of them has been tried by providing some more geotechnical data to facilitate the understanding of their behaviour in the ceramic processes.[ES] La tejería de producción semiartesanal es un oficio que está prácticamente desaparecido en el Archipiélago canario, y la producción de loza es conservada por unos pocos alfareros/as que han mostrado su interés particular por mantener el oficio, siendo sus piezas objetos decorativos o souvenirs alejándose del uso doméstico que antes cumplían. La generación actual emplea una terminología referente a las materias primas muy similar, independientemente de la Isla donde trabajen. Esto es debido a que consultan las fuentes bibligráficas sobre “las últimas loceras” del Archipiélago, a la mayor comunicación entre loceros/as gracias al contacto en ferias de artesanía insulares, regionales,... así como en jornadas de divulgación organizadas por instituciones. No obstante, cuando la cerámica era el medio de vida en los determinados focos alfareros del Archipiélago las loceras denominaban los materiales según los vocablos locales que les transmitían sus antecesoras, y no siempre el mismo término identificaba materiales de iguales características. En este trabajo se recopilan las referencias etnográficas sobre las materias primas aportando una visión de conjunto y comparativa de las mismas a la vez que se intentan describir aportando algunos datos de carácter más geotécnico que facilite el entendimiento sobre su comportamiento en los procesos cerámicos.Martín Afonso, C.; Acosta Hernández, F. (2021). Materias primas en las pastas cerámicas de origen volcánico en la cerámica canaria: descripción y caracterización geotécnica. En I Simposio anual de Patrimonio Natural y Cultural ICOMOS España. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 121-130. https://doi.org/10.4995/icomos2019.2019.11696OCS12113

Ultraviolet laser patterning of porous silicon

This work reports on the fabrication of 1D fringed patterns on nanostructured porous silicon (nanoPS) layers (563, 372, and 290nm thick). The patterns are fabricated by phase-mask laser interference using single pulses of an UV excimer laser (193nm, 20ns pulse duration). The method is a single-step and flexible approach to produce a large variety of patterns formed by alternate regions of almost untransformed nanoPS and regions where its surface has melted and transformed into Si nanoparticles (NPs). The role of laser fluence (5-80mJcm-2), and pattern period (6.3-16µm) on pattern features and surface structuring are discussed. The results show that the diameter of Si NPs increases with fluence up to a saturation value of 75nm for a fluence ˜40mJcm-2. In addition, the percentage of transformed to non-transformed region normalized to the pattern period follows similar fluence dependence regardless the period and thus becomes an excellent control parameter. This dependence is fitted within a thermal model that allows for predicting the in-depth profile of the pattern. The model assumes that transformation occurs whenever the laser-induced temperature increase reaches the melting temperature of nanoPS that has been found to be 0.7 of that of crystalline silicon for a porosity of around 79%. The role of thermal gradients across the pattern is discussed in the light of the experimental results and the calculated temperature profiles, and shows that the contribution of lateral thermal flow to melting is not significant for pattern periods =6.3µm.Postprint (published version

Longitudinal relationship of liver injury with inflammation biomarkers in COVID-19 hospitalized patients using a joint modeling approach

The mechanisms underlying liver disease in patients with COVID-19 are not entirely known. The aim is to investigate, by means of novel statistical techniques, the changes over time in the relationship between inflammation markers and liver damage markers in relation to survival in COVID-19. The study included 221 consecutive patients admitted to the hospital during the first COVID-19 wave in Spain. Generalized additive mixed models were used to investigate the influence of time and inflammation markers on liver damage markers in relation to survival. Joint modeling regression was used to evaluate the temporal correlations between inflammation markers (serum C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6, plasma D-dimer, and blood lymphocyte count) and liver damage markers, after adjusting for age, sex, and therapy. The patients who died showed a significant elevation in serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase levels over time. Conversely, a decrease in serum AST levels was observed in the survivors, who showed a negative correlation between inflammation markers and liver damage markers (CRP with serum AST, alanine transaminase [ALT], and gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT]; and D-dimer with AST and ALT) after a week of hospitalization. Conversely, most correlations were positive in the patients who died, except lymphocyte count, which was negatively correlated with AST, GGT, and alkaline phosphatase. These correlations were attenuated with age. The patients who died during COVID-19 infection displayed a significant elevation of liver damage markers, which is correlated with inflammation markers over time. These results are consistent with the role of systemic inflammation in liver damage during COVID-19S

Development and validation of a clinical score to estimate progression to severe or critical state in Covid-19 pneumonia hospitalized patients

The prognosis of a patient with Covid-19 pneumonia is uncertain. Our objective was to establish a predictive model of disease progression to facilitate early decision-making. A retrospective study was performed of patients admitted with Covid-19 pneumonia, classified as severe (admission to the intensive care unit, mechanic invasive ventilation, or death) or non-severe. A predictive model based on clinical, analytical, and radiological parameters was built. The probability of progression to severe disease was estimated by logistic regression analysis. Calibration and discrimination (receiver operating characteristics curves and AUC) were assessed to determine model performance. During the study period 1,152 patients presented with Covid-19 infection, of whom 229 (19.9%) were admitted for pneumonia. During hospitalization, 51 (22.3%) progressed to severe disease, of whom 26 required ICU care (11.4); 17 (7.4%) underwent invasive mechanical ventilation, and 32 (14%) died of any cause. Five predictors determined within 24 hours of admission were identified: Diabetes, Age, Lymphocyte count, SaO2, and pH (DALSH score). The prediction model showed a good clinical performance, including discrimination (AUC 0.87 CI 0.81, 0.92) and calibration (Brier score = 0.11). In total, 0%, 12%, and 50% of patients with severity risk scores ≤5%, 6-25%, and >25% exhibited disease progression, respectively. A simple risk score based on five factors predicts disease progression and facilitates early decision-making according to prognosis.Carlos III Health Institute, Spain, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SPAIN) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)Instituto de Salud Carlos II

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Ultraviolet laser patterning of porous silicon

9 pags.; 6 figs.; 2 tabs.This work reports on the fabrication of 1D fringed patterns on nanostructured porous silicon (nanoPS) layers (563, 372, and 290nm thick). The patterns are fabricated by phase-mask laser interference using single pulses of an UV excimer laser (193nm, 20ns pulse duration). The method is a single-step and flexible approach to produce a large variety of patterns formed by alternate regions of almost untransformed nanoPS and regions where its surface has melted and transformed into Si nanoparticles (NPs). The role of laser fluence (5-80mJcm-2), and pattern period (6.3-16μm) on pattern features and surface structuring are discussed. The results show that the diameter of Si NPs increases with fluence up to a saturation value of 75nm for a fluence ≈40mJcm-2. In addition, the percentage of transformed to non-transformed region normalized to the pattern period follows similar fluence dependence regardless the period and thus becomes an excellent control parameter. This dependence is fitted within a thermal model that allows for predicting the in-depth profile of the pattern. The model assumes that transformation occurs whenever the laser-induced temperature increase reaches the melting temperature of nanoPS that has been found to be 0.7 of that of crystalline silicon for a porosity of around 79%. The role of thermal gradients across the pattern is discussed in the light of the experimental results and the calculated temperature profiles, and shows that the contribution of lateral thermal flow to melting is not significant for pattern periods ≥6.3μm. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.This work has partially been supported under projects MAT2011-28345-C02-01 and MAT2011-28345-C02-02 (Spain). R. J. Pelaez acknowledges the grant JCI- 2012_13034 from the Juan de la Cierva program.Peer Reviewe

Do negative ions matter in pulsed laser deposition?

11th. International Conference on Laser Ablation, Playa del Carmen, México, November 13-19 2011N