Assessment of highway infrastructure projects in Latin America and Perú from the competences point of view

It is stressed that Latin America and Peru should become more competitive. Under the actual development scenarios, attention to competences of programme managers and project managers related to public transportation infrastructure projects has risen substantially. An inefficient bureaucratic system is related with deficiencies of people skills and competences. On the other hand, an excellent system demands quality of the system and quality of people working in it. Thus, it is important to have excellence in administration and excellent administrators in the public sector. Three main lacking elements have been identified: i) lack of good education; ii) absence of fair salaries in the public sector; and iii) lack of incentives. Many misconceptions and disputed consequences have been observed and analyzed. It is clear that there is lack of competence among infrastructure transport project managers and teams, which causes trouble with the main goal of Peru getting benefits from these investments and achieving sustainable development. Furthermore, the right way to achieve these benefits is through a new model of education for project managers and programme managers in Peru. This education should be based more on competences than on qualifications. Thus, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) competence baseline, which is the standard that best fits to these needs, needs to be implemented to achieve the real contribution and benefits of these projects to society

Design of lightweight concrete with olive biomass bottom ash for use in buildings

The ash generated during the combustion of biomass in electricity generation plants is a waste that has increased considerably in recent years, and whose management constitutes an environmental problem. In this regard, the recovery of biomass bottom ash as a partial replacement of natural materials for use in different civil engineering applications, as well as for the manufacture of construction materials, has been the subject of numerous studies that have shown its technical feasibility. However, for its application in the development of new sustainable materials, with thermal insulation properties, it is necessary to expand our existing knowledge of it. In this study, the use of bottom ash from original and processed biomass bottom ash in the manufacture of lightweight concrete, as a replacement for sand (15%–25%) and expanded clay (25%–35%), has been evaluated. In addition, after subjecting the ash to a grinding process, it was also incorporated into the concrete by replacing cement. The physical, mechanical, thermal and durability properties were evaluated according to regulations and the results showed that the thermal treatment applied to biomass bottom ash improved the mechanical performance of lightweight concrete. Likewise, thermal conductivity was reduced by up to 43%, which allows these concretes to be used as insulating materials in buildings. Therefore, this study shows the possibility of recovering biomass bottom ash in the manufacture of lightweight concrete for use in construction.Valorization of biomass bottom ash in sustainable construction applications (1264457- R) – BIOCEM, carried out by the University of Cordoba and the University of Granada within the Application for grants for R&D&I projects in the framework of the operational program ERDF Andalusia 2014–202

Caracterización mecánica y reológica de un hormigón autocompactante elaborado con finos de recuperación procedentes de la fabricación de mezclas asfálticas

[ES] En el trabajo que se presenta se estudia la valorización de un fíller de recuperación, procedente de una planta de fabricación de aglomerados asfálticos, para su uso en la elaboración de hormigones autocompactantes (HAC) con aplicaciones estructurales. En primer lugar, se ha caracterizado el fíller para determinar su potencial aplicabilidad en este tipo de hormigones. Posteriormente, se ha diseñado y confeccionado un hormigón autocompactante con las prescripciones impuestas para una clase IIb de exposición ambiental, partiendo del método de dosificación de Okamura y ajustando mediante amasadas de prueba las proporciones hasta cumplir los requisitos normalizados de autocompactabilidad. Una vez logradas, el trabajo se ha centrado en la evaluación de las características mecánicas y reológicas del hormigón seleccionado, determinando su comportamiento en cuanto a su resistencia a compresión y tracción, módulo de deformación, coeficiente de Poisson, retracción por secado y fluencia. Los resultados obtenidos han confirmado que con este fíller de recuperación se pueden satisfacer plenamente los requisitos de autocompactabilidad exigidos por la normativa actual, si bien este hormigón exige una mayor dosis de aditivo superplastificante para lograrlos. Asimismo, el hormigón ha alcanzado valores en las propiedades mecánicas adecuados para su aplicación estructural aunque se ha observado mayor deformabilidad que en el hormigón de referencia.Castillo Mingorance, J.; Martínez-Echevarría Romero, M.; Rodríguez Montero, J.; López Alonso, M. (2018). Caracterización mecánica y reológica de un hormigón autocompactante elaborado con finos de recuperación procedentes de la fabricación de mezclas asfálticas. En HAC 2018. V Congreso Iberoamericano de hormigón autocompactable y hormigones especiales. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 589-598. https://doi.org/10.4995/HAC2018.2018.5320OCS58959

Valorization of vinasse as binder modifier in asphalt mixtures

The reutilization of waste generated by industrial processes has become a majorenvironmental objective in scientific and technical research. In the construction sector, there is a broad range of techniques for the exploitation of different types of waste, which can then be used as a replacement for raw materials. This paper presents the results of a study of vinasse, a by-product of biomass ethanol, andanalyzes its viability as a bitumen modifier in asphalt mixes. For this purpose, four AC-16S asphalt mixes were evaluated for moisture sensitivity, plastic deformation, stiffness, and fatigue. The mix formulas were the following: (Mix 1) 50/70 bitumen; (Mix 2) 50/70 bitumen modified with 10% vinasse; (Mix 3) rubber bitumen; (Mix 4) rubber bitumen modified with 10% vinasse. The results of this study showed that bitumen modified with vinasse improved the mechanical performance of the AC-16S mix and also contributed to the valorization of vinasse waste

Profundización en metodologías y espacios docentes innovadores

Fac. de FilologíaFALSEsubmitte

Meeting Point: methods and spaces for the flipped classroom

Desarrollo de programas formativos centrados en los estudiantes gracias a la mejora de la calidad de los recursos materiales y del personal docente e investigador.Vicerrectorado de CalidadFac. de FilologíaFALSEsubmitte

Diverse Large HIV-1 Non-subtype B Clusters Are Spreading Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Spain

In Western Europe, the HIV-1 epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) is dominated by subtype B. However, recently, other genetic forms have been reported to circulate in this population, as evidenced by their grouping in clusters predominantly comprising European individuals. Here we describe four large HIV-1 non-subtype B clusters spreading among MSM in Spain. Samples were collected in 9 regions. A pol fragment was amplified from plasma RNA or blood-extracted DNA. Phylogenetic analyses were performed via maximum likelihood, including database sequences of the same genetic forms as the identified clusters. Times and locations of the most recent common ancestors (MRCA) of clusters were estimated with a Bayesian method. Five large non-subtype B clusters associated with MSM were identified. The largest one, of F1 subtype, was reported previously. The other four were of CRF02_AG (CRF02_1; n = 115) and subtypes A1 (A1_1; n = 66), F1 (F1_3; n = 36), and C (C_7; n = 17). Most individuals belonging to them had been diagnosed of HIV-1 infection in the last 10 years. Each cluster comprised viruses from 3 to 8 Spanish regions and also comprised or was related to viruses from other countries: CRF02_1 comprised a Japanese subcluster and viruses from 8 other countries from Western Europe, Asia, and South America; A1_1 comprised viruses from Portugal, United Kingom, and United States, and was related to the A1 strain circulating in Greece, Albania and Cyprus; F1_3 was related to viruses from Romania; and C_7 comprised viruses from Portugal and was related to a virus from Mozambique. A subcluster within CRF02_1 was associated with heterosexual transmission. Near full-length genomes of each cluster were of uniform genetic form. Times of MRCAs of CRF02_1, A1_1, F1_3, and C_7 were estimated around 1986, 1989, 2013, and 1983, respectively. MRCA locations for CRF02_1 and A1_1 were uncertain (however initial expansions in Spain in Madrid and Vigo, respectively, were estimated) and were most probable in Bilbao, Spain, for F1_3 and Portugal for C_7. These results show that the HIV-1 epidemic among MSM in Spain is becoming increasingly diverse through the expansion of diverse non-subtype B clusters, comprising or related to viruses circulating in other countries

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality