3,560 research outputs found

    Environmental History of Mangrove Vegetation in Pacific West-Central Mexico during the Last 1300 Years

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    AbstractMangroves are a highly threatened ecosystem due to climate change and human activity, which increases coastal vulnerability. Knowledge about the ecological dynamics of mangroves on a centennial timescale can reveal the different responses in vegetation, which is useful for implementing basic actions for mangrove restoration, conservation and management. A mangrove ecosystem in the Cuyutlán Lagoon area along the Pacific coast of west-central Mexico is significantly altered as a result of industrialization, salt extraction, and road construction. The long-term dynamics of the mangrove ecosystem has also been controlled by Holocene climatic variability. This study reconstructs the environmental history of mangrove vegetation around the Cuyutlán Lagoon during the last ~1300 years in response to periods of human activity and climate change. The reconstruction was performed using paleoecological techniques in sediment cores that include the use of fossil pollen as a proxy for vegetation and magnetic susceptibility and geochemical data (determined by loss-on-ignition and X-ray fluorescence) as a proxy for past environmental changes. The chronology was determined using 14C dating and the age-depth model was constructed by linear interpolation. Redundancy analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) were used to discern patterns of distribution of the different proxies. Results revealed that the mangrove pollen assemblage of the Cuyutlán Lagoon was dominated by the arboreal taxa Rhizophora mangle, Euphorbiaceae, Moraceae and Pinaceae, herbaceous taxa like Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, and aquatics such as Typhaceae and Cyperaceae. NMDS showed a clear separation between two events of human activity—the Spanish Occupation of Colima (~AD 1523-1524) and the opening of the Manzanillo port (~AD 1824-1825). Climate change events such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) (~AD 800-1200) and the Little Ice Age (LIA) (~AD 1350-1850) were also successfully identified. The main responses were mangrove expansion (driven by R. mangle) during the LIA and the Manzanillo Port Opening, while the MCA was a highly perturbed period marked by multiple hurricane events and low or no pollen deposition in the sediment. During the Spanish Occupation, the aquatic taxa Typhaceae expanded together with an increase in Ca, Sr and carbonate contents

    Evaluation of Two Equations for Prediction of Digestible Energy in Mixed Feeds and Diets for Horses

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    Several authors have developed equations for estimating digestible energy in horse feeds as an alternative to the inconveniences of in vivo digestibility assays. We aimed to evaluate two of such equations. A dataset was constructed from the literature with 32 mixed feeds and diets of known proximate composition, whose digestibility was measured in in vivo assays. Then, the digestible energy of the mixed feeds and diets was predicted with both equations from their proximate components. Precision, accuracy, reproducibility, bias, and decomposition of total error of predictions were determined. Both equations performed almost equally well (R2 = 0.89 vs. 0.87, root mean square error of prediction = 183 vs. 217 kcal/kg dry matter, concordance correlation coefficient = 0.91 vs. 0.86, and linear error = 24.6 vs. 33.6% of total error). Linear bias (p < 0.01 in both equations) resulted in overvaluation of low digestible energy feeds and, to a lesser extent, undervaluation of high digestible energy feeds and was significantly (p < 0.05) related to crude fiber. The obtained results indicate that the accuracy of both equations could be improved by reassessing the effects of crude fiber on the digestibility of the other proximate components

    Impact exercise strategies in the HRQOL of the sedentary adults

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    El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la eficacia de diferentes estrategias de intervención del ejercicio físico y relacionarlas con la percepción de la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) en adultos mayores sedentarios. Participaron 100 sujetos, con edades comprendidas entre los 60 y 70 años, que fueron divididos aleatoriamente en cuatro grupos: control, recomendación, prescripción y monitorización. La intervención de ejercicio físico tuvo una duración de 6 meses. Para la valoración de la CVRS se utilizó el cuestionario SF-36. Los grupos monitorización y prescripción obtuvieron los mayores valores en todos los dominios en el análisis intragrupos. La función física y la salud general y mental obtienen los mayores valores significativos entre grupos (p<.05). Entre los grupos prescripción y monitorización no existen diferencias significativas en ninguna dimensión. Sin embargo el grupo de monitorización obtuvo valores superiores en salud mental, no siendo así en salud físicaThe aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of different intervention strategies of exercise and relate the perception of quality of life related to health (HRQOL) in sedentary older adults. It involved 100 subjects, aged between 60 and 70, who were randomly divided into four groups: control, recommend, prescribe and monitor. The exercise intervention lasted 6 months. The SF-36 questionnaire was used for the assessment of HRQOL. The monitoring and prescription groups had higher values in all domains in the intragroup analysis. Physical function and health and mental health obtain the highest significant values between groups (p <.05). There are no significant differences at all in any domain among prescription and monitoring groups. However, the monitoring group obtained higher values in mental health, but were not in physical healt

    Short-term effects of impurities in the CO2 stream injected into fractured carbonates.

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    After the Paris Agreement in which 195 countries are involved, the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is now an accepted technology in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In Spain, Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (CIUDEN) has successfully completed the full CCS chain, being CO2 captured in the Technology Development Centre in Cubillos del Sil (León, Spain) whereas that it is geologically stored in a deep saline aquifer, formed by fractured carbonates with poor matrix porosity, located in the Technology Development Plant (TDP) at Hontomín (Burgos, Spain). The results of the field tests, in which up to 150 tons of CO2 and synthetic air (5 %v of N2 and O2) were co-injected on site, are analyzed in this paper comparing the operational parameters gained during the injection of impure CO2 (pressures, temperatures and flow ranges) with its corresponding baseline previously determined (i.e. 1,500 tons of pure CO2 were injected during the reservoir hydraulic characterization). Besides that, the geochemical reactivity analysis of impure CO2 injected in this saline aquifer and its correlation with the results from laboratory tests were assessed. As main conclusions from laboratory scale results, a porosity diminution was measured after the injection of CO2 with 5 %v of SO2; apart from that, without SO2, the effluent pH was in the range of 7-8 whereas in case of CO2 and SO2, a pH of 1-2 was obtained. Otherwise and focused on field scale tests, a density decrease was detected comparing the base case (pure CO2) with the CO2 injection containing 5.1 %v of synthetic air. On the other hand, Ca2+, SO42-, Mg2+ and K+ migration effects in the rock were also detected and analyzed

    Nanoporous alumina support covered by imidazole moiety-based ionic liquids: optical characterization and application

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    This work analyzes chemical surface and optical characteristics of a commercial nanoporous alumina structure (NPAS) as a result of surface coverage by different imidazolium-based ionic liquids (1-butyl-3-metylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, 3-methyl-1-octylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, or 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate). Optical characteristics of the IL/NPAS samples were determined by photoluminescence (at different excitation wavelengths (from 300 nm to 400 nm), ellipsometry spectroscopy, and light transmittance/reflectance measurements for a range of wavelengths that provide information on modifications related to both visible and near-infrared regions. Chemical surface characterization of the three IL/NPAS samples was performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which indicates almost total support coverage by the ILs. The IL/NPAS analyzed samples exhibit different photoluminescence behavior, high transparency (<85%), and a reflection maximum at wavelength ~380 nm, with slight differences depending on the IL, while the refractive index values are rather similar to those shown by the ILs. Moreover, the illuminated I–V curves (under standard conditions) of the IL/NPAS samples were also measured for determining the efficiency energy conversion to estimate their possible application as solar cells. On the other hand, a computational quantum mechanical modeling method (DFT) was used to establish the most stable bond between the ILs and the NPAS support.M.A. thanks the SpanishMinistry of Science and Innovation (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033) through project PID2021-122613OB-I00

    Optical and physicochemical characterizations of a cellulosic/CdSe-QDs@S-DAB5 film

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    CdSe quantum dots nanoparticles were coated with the thiolated (DiAminoButane based dendrimer) DAB dendrimer of fifth generation (S-DAB(5)) and embedded in a highly hydrophilic regenerated cellulose (RC) film by simple dip-coating method (immersion in QD-dendrimer aqueous solution) as a way to get a flexible nano-engineered film (RC-4/CdSe-QDs@S-DAB(5)) with high transparency and photoluminescence properties for different applications. Optical changes in the RC film associated with QDs inclusion were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements, which provide information on changes caused in the refraction index and the extinction coefficients of the film, as well as by light transmittance/reflectance curves and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Impedance spectroscopy (IS) and other typical physicochemical techniques for material characterization (TEM, SEM and XPS) have also been used in order to have more complete information on film characteristics. A comparison of RC-4/CdSe-QDs@S-DAB(5) film optical characteristics with those exhibited by other RC-modified films depending on the type of dendrimer was also carried out

    Influence of TiO2-Coating Layer on Nanoporous Alumina Membranes by ALD Technique

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    Geometrical, chemical, optical and ionic transport changes associated with ALD of TiO2-coating on the porous structure of two nanoporous alumina membranes (NPAMs), which were obtained by the two-step aluminum anodization method but with different pore size and porosity, are presented. Chemical and morphological changes were determined by analyzing XPS spectra and SEM images, showing practically total coverage of the NPAMs surface and leading to a reduction in the geometrical parameters of both samples, while SAED and high resolution TEM measurements allowed us to determine the crystalline structure and thickness of the TiO2-coating, with the latter confirmed by depth-profile XPS analysis. Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements were also carried out in order to detect changes in characteristic optical parameters (refractive index, n, and extinction coefficient, k), due to the TiO2-coating of NPAMs. Considering the common application of NPAMs in solute/ion diffusion processes, the effect of the TiO2-coverage on electrochemical parameters was analyzed by measuring the concentration potential with a typical model electrolyte (KCl solutions), leading to an increase of the electropositive character for both kinds of samples

    POS1247 CLINICAL FEATURES AND OUTCOMES OF COVID-19 IN PATIENTS WITH IGG4-RELATED DISEASE. A COLLABORATIVE EUROPEAN MULTI-CENTRE STUDY

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    Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic-spread systemic infectious disease with prominent respiratory manifestations and significant associated morbidity and mortality. Elderly people are most significantly affected with mortality ranging from 2.4% (age 60-69) to 19.6% (age>80) in European Countries. The prevalence of COVID-19 and of its complications in patients with immune-mediated disorders, remains unclear. The frequency and impact of COVID-19 on patients with IgG4-related diease (IgG4-RD), many of whom are on concurrent immunosuppression has not been addressed.Objectives:To assess the epidemiological and clinical relevance of COVID-19 in patients with IgG4-RD.Methods:This is a multi-centre retrospective observational study of IgG4-RD patients from France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Demographics, comorbidities, IgG4-RD features, current and past treatment along with COVID-19-suggestive symptoms and COVID-19 diagnoses from February 2020 to January 2021 were recorded by means of direct or phone interviews. Patients with reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction-confirmed (cCOVID) or presumed COVID-19 based on clinical, serological or imaging features (pCOVID) were pooled for analysis (totCOVID) and compared to patients who were not diagnosed with COVID-19. Inter-group comparison of categorical and quantitative variables were performed by using the chi-square test with Fisher's correction and the Mann-Whitney's test respectively. Data are expressed as median (interquartile range) unless otherwise specified.Results:A total of 305 patients [71% males, median age 64 (54-74) years] were studied. Pancreato-biliary disease was the most frequently observed IgG4-RD phenotype (39%). Fifty-one percent of patients were taking corticosteroids at time of interview and 30% were on biological or conventional immunosuppressants. Thirty-two totCOVID cases (23 cCOVID, nine pCOVID) were identified: 11/32 were hospitalised, two needed intensive care and four (13%; 3/4 aged >80 years) died. Having one or more infected family members was a risk factor for COVID-19 in patients with IgG4-RD (OR=19.9; p20mg) or rituximab administration.Conclusion:The prevalence and course of COVID-19 in IgG4-RD patients are similar to those of the general population of the same age, with no evident impact of disease- or treatment-related factors to the basal infectious risk. Effective public health countermeasures might be beneficial for patients with IgG4RD.References:[1]European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): https://covid19-surveillance-report.ecdc.europa.eu/[2]Yang H, Ann Rheum Dis, 2021Disclosure of Interests:Giuseppe Alvise Ramirez: None declared, Marco Lanzillotta: None declared, Mikael Ebbo: None declared, Andreu Fernandez-Codina Consultant of: consulting fees from Atheneum Consulting, Gaia Mancuso: None declared, Fernando Martínez-Valle: None declared, Olimpia Orozco-Galvez: None declared, Nicolas Schleinitz: None declared, Lorenzo Dagna Consultant of: Abbvie, Amgen, Biogen, BristolMyers Squibb, Celltrion, Galapagos, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and SOBI, Grant/research support from: The Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases (UnIRAR) received unresctricted research/educational grants from Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline,Janssen, Merk Sharp & Dohme, Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, and SOBI, Emma L. Culver: None declared, Emanuel Della Torre: None declare
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