Ecology and land arrangement: the case of Murcia city and surroundings II. Diagnosis and impacts evaluation

Este trabajo constituye la segunda parte del estudio ecológico integrado de la aglomeración urbana de Murcia y su área de influencia. Se describen y desarrollan las fases de diagnosis y evaluación de impactos. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto la eficacia del sistema utilizado, examinándose en detalle su aplicación en proyectos de planeamiento territorial. Destacan como recomendaciones generales aquéllas relativas al crecimiento industrial y urbano; desarrollo de áreas residenciales y su localización; control de vertidos al Río Segura; tratamiento de reforestación de cabeceras y márgenes de ramblas; creación de parques urbanos rurales y gradación de medidas de protección de lo que debería ser el Parque Regional del municipio de Murcia y alrededores, la denominada «costera sur».This work summarizes the second part of the integrated ecological study of the urban aglomeration of Murcia and its surroundings. The phases of impact diagnosis and evaluation are described and expanded.The results obtained expose the efficiency of the system used, and its application in the field of land planning projects is examined in detail. The recomendations which stand out most are those which refer to urban and industrial growth; those related to the progress and emplacement of residential areas; the control of effluent in the Segura River;the afforestation of headwaters («cabeceras») and dry river bed («ramblas») banks; the creation of urban parks and the adoption of protective measures of what should be the Regional Park of Murcia Municipality and its surrounding area, the so-called «costera sur»

Dynamic changes of the extracellular matrix during corneal wound healing

Producción CientíficaThe extracellular matrix (ECM) confers transparency to the cornea because of the precise organization of collagen fibrils and a wide variety of proteoglycans. We monitored the corneal wound healing process after alkali burns in rabbits. We analyzed the location and expression of collagens and proteoglycans, the clinical impact, and the recovery of optical transparency. After the animals received both general and ocular topical anesthesia, the central cornea of the left eye was burned by placing an 8-mm diameter filter paper soaked in 0.5 N NaOH for 60 s. The eyes were evaluated under a surgical microscope at 1, 3, and 6 months after burning. At each time point, the clinical conditions of the burned and control corneas were observed. The arrangement of collagen fibers in the corneal stroma was visualized by Picrosirius-red staining, Gomori's silver impregnation and transmission electronic microscopy. Corneal light transmittance was also measured. Myofibroblasts presence was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. mRNA expression levels of collagen types I and III, lumican, decorin, keratocan and alpha-smooth muscle actin were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. One month after alkali burn, the ECM was disorganized and filled with lacunae containing different types of cells and collagen type III fibers in the wound area. Corneal opacities were present with attendant loss of light transmittance. Collagen and proteoglycan mRNA expression levels were up-regulated. After three months, wound healing progress was indicated by reduced corneal opacity, increased light transmittance, reorganization of collagen fibers and only collagen type I expression levels were at control levels. After six months, the wound area ECM morphology was similar to controls, but transmittance values remained low, denoting incomplete restoration of the stromal architecture. This multidisciplinary study of the stromal wound healing process revealed changes in corneal transmittance, collagen organization, myofibroblasts presence and ECM composition at 1, 3, and 6 months after alkali burning. Documenting wound resolution during the six-month period provided reliable information that can be used to test new therapies.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Health Research Fund PI15/01906 )Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad ( project BFU2016-75360-R)Junta de Castilla y León (Project VA114P17

Permeability and mechanical integrity of porous biomorphic SiC ceramics for application as hot-gas filters

Biomorphic SiC is a biotemplated material fabricated by Si melt-infiltration of carbon preforms from wood pyrolysis. In this work, porous bioSiC ceramics from five different wood precursors, with porosities between 45 and 72% were studied for their feasibility in filtering applications.Gas permeability and mechanical stability were investigated as a function of the microstructure of the starting wood precursor. Air-permeation performance at room temperature was measured for a range of flow rates, and the permeability constants were assessed by fitting of Forchheimer's equation to the experimental data. Darcian permeabilities were achieved in the range 10-10 m, while inertial terms were in the range 10-10 m, showing a correlation with the average pore size and orientation of the larger channels. Regarding the mechanical stability, maximum compressive strength values were reached in the range of 3-115 MPa.These results improve our understanding of the ways in which the microstructure influences permeability and mechanical robustness, enabling the device requirements to be tailored by selecting the wood precursor. It was also shown that these materials are promising for hot-gas filtering applications.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2013-41233-

La línea de costa como base para la generación de indicadores de estado y de seguimiento ambiental: modelo de datos y conceptos de líneas de costa en el litoral de Andalucía

En esta comunicación se proponen dos conceptos di ferentes de línea de costa orientados al cálculo de indicadores, manteniendo para ambos la misma escala y resolución. Para ello se ha procedido a la digitalización de la línea de costa en Andalucía a escala de detalle (1:2.500), entendida ésta como el segmento lineal que recorre la margen del litoral andaluz en contacto con el mar, donde la línea de costa alcanza longitudes considerables al introducirse por las márgenes de los canales de marea y estuarios así como al delimitar detalladamente det erminadas infraestructuras costeras presentes en ella. Esta delimitación fisiográficamente correcta que resulta de utilidad para la elaboración de indicadores relacionados con la gestión del litoral y el medio marino (por ejemplo caracterización de la costa ante un vertido de petróleo) puede ser confus a para la comparación de indicadores de estado y seguimiento ambiental elaborados con criterios esta dísticos, ya que éstos suelen asociar la línea de costa exclusivamente al frente costero expuesto al oleaje. Por ello, ha sido necesario realizar una nueva delineación de la línea, intentado restringirla a lo que se entiende más comúnmente por frente costero, evitando su recorrido detallado por marismas, estuarios y límites de puertos y espigones. Se presentan los resultados de la digitalización de am bas líneas, prestando especial consideración a los criterios geométricos y alfanuméri cos, así como a las diferencias que presentan los indicadores ambientales construidos a partir de éstas, haciendo uso de las capacidades analíticas de las TIG. Los resultados evidencian grandes diferencias entre ellas ligadas, principalmente, a las zonas de infraestructuras, estuarios y marismas.In order to calculate coastal indicators from different purposes, two coastline concepts with equal scale and resolution are proposed. For this reason, coastline was digitized with detail in the Andalucia coast at a scale of 1:2.500. From a physiographic point of view, the coastline is understood as the shoreline that surrounds the coastal area in contact with sea or brackish water such as coastal beaches at exposed areas and estuaries at sheltered areas for instance. Therefore, this concept of coastline reaches large lengths when shoreline is drawn on estuaries and tidal creeks, as well as when it surrounds with details coastal infrastructures such as harbours and dikes. This physiographic delimitation is the most correct approach, and results very useful for generating indicators related with coastal and marine environments management (e.g. coastal characterization for dealing with fuel spill more effectively). However, from a political-statistical point of view, this delimitation can be confuse for creating state and environmental assessment indicators, because in these cases the coastline is commonly characterized by exposed coastal areas. Thus, it has been necessary to create a new delimitation of the coastline, trying to integrate only the shoreline commonly understood as ‘Coastal front’ (without covering coastal sheltered areas or reclaimed areas such us dikes or harbour’s extensions). Finally, it is presented graphical results of both coastlines; paying special attention to geometric and alphanumeric criteria followed as well as to environmental indicators built through spatial analysis tools (GIS). Results show large differences between them, especially on those categories related with infrastructures and salt marshes

Suicide Interventions in Spain and Japan: A Comparative Systematic Review

(1) Background: This systematic review presents an overview of psychological interventions in suicide published between 2013 and 2023 in Spain and Japan, sparked by Spain’s alarming recent increase in suicide rates and the potential exemplar of Japan’s reduction efforts. (2) Methods: Following the PRISMA checklist, the databases Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycInfo were searched using the terms [(“suicide” OR “suicidal behavior” OR “suicidal attempt” OR “suicidal thought” OR “suicidal intention”) AND (“prevention” OR “intervention” OR “psychosocial treatment” OR “Dialectical Behavior Therapy” OR “Cognitive Therapy” OR “psychotherap*”)] AND [(“Spain” OR “Spanish”) OR (“Japan” OR “Japanese”)]. We included articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals, written in English, Spanish, and Japanese between 2013 and 2023 that presented, designed, implemented, or assessed psychological interventions focused on suicidal behavior. (3) Results: 46 studies were included, concerning prevention, treatment, and training interventions. The risk of bias was low in both Spanish and Japanese studies, despite the lack of randomization of the samples. We identified common characteristics, such as psychoeducation and coping skills. Assertive case management was only highlighted in Japan, making an emphasis on active patient involvement in his/her care plan. (4) Conclusions: The findings will help professionals to incorporate into their interventions broader, more comprehensive approaches to consider more interpersonal components

SARS-CoV-2 Infection and C-Section: A Prospective Observational Study

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. In addition to unfavorable perinatal outcomes, there has been an increase in obstetric interventions. With this study, we aimed to clarify the reasons, using Robson's classification model, and risk factors for cesarean section (C-section) in SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers and their perinatal results. This was a prospective observational study that was carried out in 79 hospitals (Spanish Obstetric Emergency Group) with a cohort of 1704 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive pregnant women that were registered consecutively between 26 February and 5 November 2020. The data from 1248 pregnant women who delivered vaginally (vaginal + operative vaginal) was compared with those from 456 (26.8%) who underwent a C-section. C-section patients were older with higher rates of comorbidities, in vitro fertilization and multiple pregnancies (p < 0.05) compared with women who delivered vaginally. Moreover, C-section risk was associated with the presence of pneumonia (p < 0.001) and 41.1% of C-sections in patients with pneumonia were preterm (Robson's 10th category). However, delivery care was similar between asymptomatic and mild-moderate symptomatic patients (p = 0.228) and their predisposing factors to C-section were the presence of uterine scarring (due to a previous C-section) and the induction of labor or programmed C-section for unspecified obstetric reasons. On the other hand, higher rates of hemorrhagic events, hypertensive disorders and thrombotic events were observed in the C-section group (p < 0.001 for all three outcomes), as well as for ICU admission. These findings suggest that this type of delivery was associated with the mother's clinical conditions that required a rapid and early termination of pregnancy.This project was supported by public funds that were obtained in competitive calls: Grant COV20/00021 (EUR 43,000 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Spanish Ministry of Health) and co-financed with Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) funds

The Assessment of Myocardial Longitudinal Strain in a Paediatric Spanish Population Using a New Software Analysis

Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) has been present for years. However, it is underutilized due to the expertise and time requirements for its analysis. Our aims were to provide strain values in a paediatric Spanish population and to assess the feasibility and reproducibility of a new strain software analysis in our environment. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 156 healthy children aged 6 to 17 years. Longitudinal strain (LS) analysis of the left ventricle, right ventricle, and left atrium was performed. Feasibility and reproducibility were assessed. The associations of clinical and echocardiographic variables with strain values were investigated by multivariate analysis. Results: Mean age was 11 ± 3 years (50% female). Feasibility of LS measurement ranged from 94.2% for left ventricle global LS (LVGLS) to 98.1% for other chamber strain parameters. Strain values were 26.7 ± 2.3% for LVGLS; 30.5 ± 4.4% and 26.9 ± 4% for right ventricle free wall LS (RVFWLS) and four chambers view LS (RV4CLS) respectively; and 57.8 ± 10.5%, 44.9 ± 9.5%, and 12.9 ± 5.5% for left atrium LS reservoir phase (LALSr), conduct phase (LALScd) and contraction phase (LALSct), also respectively. Body surface area (BSA) and age presented a negative correlation with strain values. Higher values were found in females than in males, except for LALScd. Excellent intra- and inter-observer reproducibility were found for right and left ventricular strain measurement, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) ranging from 0.88 to 0.98, respectively. In conclusion, we described strain values in a healthy Spanish paediatric population. LS assessment by this new strain analysis software by semi-automatic manner was highly feasible and reproducible

Seismic triggering in a stable continental area: The Lugo 1995–1997 seismic sequences (NW Spain)

The northwestern area of the Iberian Peninsula traditionally is considered a seismically stable area. However, since 1979 this region has experienced a significant increase in seismic activity. In 1995 and 1997, two earthquakes, with magnitude Mw 4.2 and 5.1, respectively, caused significant damage in the region (intensity EMS: V). In this work, we analysed the focal mechanisms that had the most coherence with the local structures and tectonics. Modelling of the coseismic Coulomb static stress changes generated by the 1995 sequence was performed in order to find a possible genetic relationship with the 1997 sequence. Models using oblique (reverse strike-slip) movement on a fault with the same geometry and orientation as the Baralla fault, mapped at the surface, yield the best fit with the spatial distribution of the 1997 sequence. The existence of causal relationships between two close seismic sequences is important for the improvement of future seismic hazard assessments methodologies