Overexploitation and water quality in the Crevillente aquifer (Alicante, SE Spain)

The Crevillente aquifer is a karstic aquifer, situated in Alicante province in the SE of Spain. The aquifer basically comprises a series of Jurassic limestones and dolomites, belonging to the Betic Cordillera. Intense exploitation of the aquifer started in the early 1960s. Exploitation was initially concentrated in two sectors of the Sierra de Crevillente and, years later, extended to a third sector. As a consequence of abstractions that were much greater than recharge into the system, a continual drop in the water level persisted for several decades. These abstractions have occasionally caused local dewatering over depths of more than 300 m. From a hydrogeological point of view, the aquifer dewatering in one of the sectors was accompanied by increased mineralization and a fall in quality of the groundwater, and several boreholes had to be abandoned. In recent years, the degree to which the aquifer is overexploited has fallen considerably, and it appears to have entered a new hydrodynamic stage. New hydrogeochemical characterisations have been carried out, which indicate that the aquifer water is relatively strongly mineralised due, fundamentally, to the dissolution of evaporite rocks. On the other hand, deterioration in water quality as a consequence of the degree of overabstraction can also be confirmedDepto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEGeneralitat ValencianaUNESCOpu

In vitro characterization of solute transport in the spinal canal

This paper presents results of an experimental investigation of solute transport in a simplified model of the spinal canal. The work aims to provide increased understanding of the mechanisms responsible for drug dispersion in intrathecal drug delivery (ITDD) procedures. The model consists of an annular channel bounded externally by a rigid transparent tube of circular section, representing the dura mater, and internally by an eccentric cylindrical compliant insert, representing the spinal cord. The tube, closed at one end, is connected to a rigid acrylic reservoir, representing the cranial cavity. The system is filled with water, whose properties are almost identical to those of the cerebrospinal fluid. A programmable peristaltic pump is employed to generate oscillatory motion at frequencies that are representative of those induced by the cardiac and respiratory cycles. Laser induced fluorescence is used to characterize the dispersion of fluorescent dye along the canal and into the cranial cavity for different values of the relevant Womersley number and different eccentricities of the annular section. The present work corroborates experimentally, for the first time, the existence of a steady bulk flow, associated with the mean Lagrangian motion, which plays a key role in the transport of the solute along the spinal canal. The measurements of solute dispersion are found to be in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions obtained using a simplified transport equation derived earlier on the basis of a two-timescale asymptotic analysis. The experimental results underscore the importance of the eccentricity and its variations along the canal and identifies changes in the flow topology associated with differences in the Womersley number, with potential implications in guiding future designs of ITDD protocols.This work was supported by the coordinated project, PID2020-115961RB-C31, PID2020-115961RB-C32, and PID2020-115961RA-C33, financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and by the Junta de Andalucia and European Funds, Project No. P18-FR-4619. F. Moral-Pulido wants to thank the Spanish Ministry of Universities for the financial support provided by the Fellowship FPU18/05694. The work of A. L. Sánchez was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through Grant No. 1853954

Tuberculin skin test conversion and association with occupation and demographic characteristics in workers at San Ignacio University Hospital

Objetivos Establecer la prevalencia de positividad, la tasa de conversión de la tuberculina en trabajadores de nuestro hospital y describir las características demográficas y laborales asociadas a esto. Materiales y Métodos Estudio observacional descriptivo en una cohorte de trabajadores del hospital a los que se les realizó la prueba de tuberculina. Se definió la positividad de la prueba de tuberculina como un resultado mayor o igual a 10 mm y la conversión como un aumento de 6 o 10 mm con respecto a la prueba inicial. Resultados Se encontró una prevalencia de 23,7 % y una incidencia de conversión de 13,6 % para el punto de corte mayor de 10 mm y 23 % para el punto de corte de 6 mm. La edad de los sujetos estuvo relacionada a conversión, mientras que no se encontró relación con la ocupación. Conclusión La probabilidad de transmisión de la tuberculosis en trabajadores del hospital es mayor al de la población general. Deben ser implementadas medidas de promoción y prevención para disminuir la transmisión e incrementar el conocimiento de la tuberculosis asociada al cuidado de la salud en los trabajadores.Q3443-449Hospital Universitario San IgnacioObjectives To establish the prevalence of positivity and conversion rate of the tuberculin skin test in workers of our hospital, and to describe the related demographic and occupational characteristics. Materials and Methods An observational, descriptive study was conducted in a cohort of hospital workers who underwent the tuberculin skin test. The positivity of the test was defined as a result of greater than or equal to 10 mm, and conversion was defined as an increase of 6 or 10 mm with respect to the initial test. Results Prevalence of 23.7 % and incidence of conversion of 13.6 % for the major cut-off point of 10 mm, and 23 % for the lesser cut-off point of 6 mm, was found. The age of the subjects was related to the conversion, but there was no relation with occupation. Conclusions The probability of tuberculosis transmission in health-care workers is higher than in the general population. Promotion and prevention measures must be implemented to decrease the transmission and to increase awareness of tuberculosis related to occupational activities

Using radio astronomical receivers for molecular spectroscopic characterization in astrochemical laboratory simulations: A proof of concept

We present a proof of concept on the coupling of radio astronomical receivers and spectrometers with chemical reactorsand the performances of the resulting setup for spectroscopy and chemical simulations in laboratory astrophysics. Several experiments including cold plasma generation and UV photochemistry were performed in a 40\,cm long gas cell placed in the beam path of the Aries 40\,m radio telescope receivers operating in the 41-49 GHz frequency range interfaced with fast Fourier transform spectrometers providing 2 GHz bandwidth and 38 kHz resolution. The impedance matching of the cell windows has been studied using different materials. The choice of the material and its thickness was critical to obtain a sensitivity identical to that of standard radio astronomical observations. Spectroscopic signals arising from very low partial pressures of CH3OH, CH3CH2OH, HCOOH, OCS,CS, SO2 (<1E-03 mbar) were detected in a few seconds. Fast data acquisition was achieved allowing for kinetic measurements in fragmentation experiments using electron impact or UV irradiation. Time evolution of chemical reactions involving OCS, O2 and CS2 was also observed demonstrating that reactive species, such as CS, can be maintained with high abundance in the gas phase during these experiments.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics in September 21, 2017. 16 pages, 18 figure

Characterization of multiple sclerosis lesions with distinct clinical correlates through quantitative diffusion MRI

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging can reveal quantitative information about the tissue changes in multiple sclerosis. The recently developed multi-compartment spherical mean technique can map different microscopic properties based only on local diffusion signals, and it may provide specific information on the underlying microstructural modifications that arise in multiple sclerosis. Given that the lesions in multiple sclerosis may reflect different degrees of damage, we hypothesized that quantitative diffusion maps may help characterize the severity of lesions "in vivo" and correlate these to an individual's clinical profile. We evaluated this in a cohort of 59 multiple sclerosis patients (62% female, mean age 44.7 years), for whom demographic and disease information was obtained, and who underwent a comprehensive physical and cognitive evaluation. The magnetic resonance imaging protocol included conventional sequences to define focal lesions, and multi-shell diffusion imaging was used with b-values of 1000, 2000 and 3000 s/mm2 in 180 encoding directions. Quantitative diffusion properties on a macro- and micro-scale were used to discriminate distinct types of lesions through a k-means clustering algorithm, and the number and volume of those lesion types were correlated with parameters of the disease. The combination of diffusion tensor imaging metrics (fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity) and multi-compartment spherical mean technique values (microscopic fractional anisotropy and intra-neurite volume fraction) differentiated two type of lesions, with a prediction strength of 0.931. The B-type lesions had larger diffusion changes compared to the A-type lesions, irrespective of their location (P < 0.001). The number of A and B type lesions was similar, although in juxtacortical areas B-type lesions predominated (60%, P < 0.001). Also, the percentage of B-type lesion volume was higher (64%, P < 0.001), indicating that these lesions were larger. The number and volume of B-type lesions was related to the severity of disease evolution, clinical disability and cognitive decline (P = 0.004, Bonferroni correction). Specifically, more and larger B-type lesions were correlated with a worse Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score, cerebellar function and cognitive performance. Thus, by combining several microscopic and macroscopic diffusion properties, the severity of damage within focal lesions can be characterized, further contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms that drive disease evolution. Accordingly, the classification of lesion types has the potential to permit more specific and better-targeted treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis

Dissecting the long-term emission behaviour of the BL Lac object Mrk 421

We report on long-term multiwavelengthmonitoring of blazar Mrk 421 by the GLAST-AGILE Support Program of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (GASP-WEBT) collaboration and Steward Observatory, and by the Swift and Fermi satellites. We study the source behaviour in the period 2007–2015, characterized by several extreme flares. The ratio between the optical, X-ray and γ -ray fluxes is very variable. The γ -ray flux variations show a fair correlation with the optical ones starting from 2012.We analyse spectropolarimetric data and find wavelengthdependence of the polarization degree (P), which is compatible with the presence of the host galaxy, and no wavelength dependence of the electric vector polarization angle (EVPA). Optical polarimetry shows a lack of simple correlation between P and flux and wide rotations of the EVPA.We build broad-band spectral energy distributions with simultaneous near-infrared and optical data from the GASP-WEBT and ultraviolet and X-ray data from the Swift satellite. They show strong variability in both flux and X-ray spectral shape and suggest a shift of the synchrotron peak up to a factor of ∼50 in frequency. The interpretation of the flux and spectral variability is compatible with jet models including at least two emitting regions that can change their orientation with respect to the line of sight.http://10.0.4.69/mnras/stx2185Accepted manuscrip

Psychological distress in health sciences college students and its relationship with academic engagement

Objective: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress and its relationship with academic engagement (absorption, dedication and vigor), sex and degree among students from four public universities. Method: A non-experimental,comparative correlational, quantitative investigation without intervention. Study population: 1840 nursing and physical therapy students. The data collection tool used was a questionnaire. Results: A 32.2% prevalence of psychological distress was found in the subjects; a correlation between vigor and psychological distress was found for all of the subjects and also for women. High absorption and dedication scores and low psychological distress scores predicted higher vigor scores. Conclusion: The risk of psychological distress is high, especially for women. Women seem to have a higher level of psychological distress than men. Vigor, energy and mental resilience positively influence psychological distress and can be a vehicle for better results during the learning and studying process

Variables hormonales y bioquímicas de la densidad mineral ósea y su correlación con hombres jóvenes obesos y no obesos sin diabetes

Introducción: la obesidad se ha asociado con mayor densidad mineral ósea (DMO), sin embargo, recientes estudios reportan que pudiese conllevar incremento de la resorción ósea y, por ende, mayor riesgo de fractura. Metodología: estudio de corte transversal analítico en donde se incluyeron hombres entre 18 y 30 años en quienes se realizaron diversas mediciones hormonales (insulina, testosterona libre y total, IGF-1, estradiol, leptina y adiponectina), bioquímicas (PTOG-glucosa, colesterol total, cHDL, cLDL, proteína C reactiva y HOMA-IR), antropométricas y otras, como composición grasa corporal, DMO y composición mineral ósea. Se evaluaron las diferencias de las variables cuantitativas entre obesos y no obesos mediante una prueba T-student o prueba de Wilcoxon. Para evaluar la correlación de DMO con las demás variables se usó la correlación de Spearman. Finalmente, se realizó un modelo de regresión lineal para predecir la DMO. Resultados: se incluyen 34 obesos y 35 no obesos. En el grupo de no obesos se obtuvo una media de 1,159 +/- 0,08 g/ cm2 de DMO comparado con el grupo de hombres obesos, con una media de 1,311 +/- 0,1 g/cm2 (p = 0,001). Se encontró que la DMO tiene una correlación fuerte con el contenido mineral óseo en los obesos respecto a los no obesos 3412,37 g (+/- 454,01) vs. 2575,96 g (+/-388,04), respectivamente, p <0,001. La adiponectina se correlacionó de forma negativa, aunque sin significancia en los obesos respecto a la densidad mineral ósea (r: -0,1913 y p = 0,27) y de forma débil y no significativa con los no obesos (r: 0,0074 y p = 0,96). Finalmente, se encontró que la presencia de obesidad, grasa total, contenido mineral óseo, insulina basal y HOMA-IR predicen de forma significativa la DMO en un modelo de regresión lineal. Conclusión: la DMO y el contenido mineral óseo son más altos en individuos obesos comparados con individuos no obesos, el índice de masa corporal y variables como insulina predicen la densidad mineral ósea

Contamination level and spatial distribution of heavy metals in water and sediments of El Guájaro Reservoir, Colombia

Heavy metals have become a subject of special concern worldwide, mainly due to high persistence in the environment, toxicity, biogeochemical recycling and ecological risk. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to analyze the spatial–temporal distribution of heavy metals in water and sediments to determine the environmental status of El Guájaro Reservoir, where such studies have not been developed. Two measurement campaigns (dry and wet period) were carried out and eight sampling stations were selected. A comparison of water and sediment quality parameters with existing national and international regulations was done. Also, heavy metal distribution maps were generated, and the geoaccumulation index was calculated to identify sources and sediments contamination level. Based on the obtained results, agriculture and mining activities are the main causes of the reservoir contamination. This metals levels could be a potential risk for the aquatic life and the populations that are supplied from this water body