Estudio briológico de la Sierra del Torcal de Antequera, Málaga

Se citan para el Torcal de Antequera setenta y siete especies de briófitos, de las cuales sesenta y ocho pertenecen a la clase Musci y nueve a la clase Hepaticae. Se citan por primera vez en Andalucía oriental: Radula lindbergiana Got. y Cololejeunea rossettiana (Mass.) Schiff, siendo la segunda localidad de Andalucía donde se cita Neckeradelphus menziesil (Hook.) Steere. Se realiza igualmente un estudio sociológico de las principales comunidades briofíticas de la zona, proponiendo como nuevas las asociaciones Neckeradelphetum menziesii y CololejeuneoRhynchostegieturn tenellae

Methodology for the damage assessment of vehicles exposed to flooding in urban areas

Within urban areas, humans carry out a great diversity of activities, and some of them require the use of vehicles. Floods, especially in urban areas, can generate significant tangible direct damages to vehicles themselves and to the urban elements in case of loss of stability and collision, which cannot be dismissed. In this paper, after a state-of-the-art review on damage curves for vehicles, a methodology to assess the direct economic impact for vehicles exposed to flooding has been described, and applied within a study carried out in the framework of the BINGO H2020 EU Project. Only three different studies focused on damages to vehicles in contact with floodwater have been found. Contrasting damage curves for vehicles are found when comparing the three approaches, however, the ones proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) offer a high level of completeness and accuracy. Moreover, USACE''s development is the most current research and all the steps for the development of the damage curves are comprehensively described. Finally, after the description of a detailed methodology for flood damage mapping for vehicles, a procedure to evaluate the Expected Annual Damage for vehicles is offered

A statistical approximation of common Roman ceramics from the Isturgi deposits (Andújar, Andalusia)

Common ceramics constitute a very abundant material in the archaeological record. This study focuses on analyzing and statistically interpreting, from the perspective of archaeological material culture, the features of Roman coarse-ware ceramics from the Isturgi deposits (Andújar, Andalusia). The main goal of this research was to study ceramics from an archaeological perspective with reference to quantitative and qualitative aspects. The fragments of pottery belong to three essential types - kitchenware, tableware, and pottery for storage and transportation - and have different characteristics. The data set consists of 3,626 fragments of ceramics of Roman origin, divided in three clearly differentiated groups: 1) common calcareous ceramics, b) oxidized kitchen ceramics, and 3) reduced kitchen ceramics, having a very different quantity of fragments (1,635; 1,714; and 277, respectively) distributed in 16 excavation zones. The analysis of the information has been carried out on the basis of univariate methods, analysis of correlation and regression, analysis of the variance (ANOVA) and multivariate factorial analysis (Factorial Analysis with Varimax Rotation mainly). In this form it is possible to characterize ceramics on the basis of whether they were fired in an oxidizing or a reducing atmosphere

Endotoxin-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation in rabbits: effect of recombinant hirudin on hemostatic parameters, fibrin deposits, and mortality

We evaluated the effect of r-hirudin on an experimental model of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in rabbits, through the continuous infusion of 100 microg/kg/hr of Escherichia coli endotoxin for a period of 6 hours. r-Hirudin (0.05, 0.3, and 0.6 mg/kg/hr) as treatment, or saline solution as placebo, were administered simultaneously with endotoxin. Severe DIC in the endotoxin control group was shown by impairment in hemostatic parameters, kidney fibrin deposition, and a high mortality rate. Medium and high doses of r-hirudin led to an improvement in such DIC-related parameters as platelet numbers and fibrinogen and protein C concentrations. High-dose r-hirudin also reduced consumption of antithrombin III (ATIII). All doses of r-hirudin prevented decreases in tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and reduced the increase in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity observed at 2 hours after endotoxin administration. A significant reduction in kidney fibrin deposition was seen in medium- and high-dose r-hirudin groups. Additionally, the mortality rate in rabbits receiving medium- and high-dose r-hirudin was 10%, and that in rabbits receiving low-dose r-hirudin was 20%, as compared with a mortality rate of 70% in the control group. Protein C activity was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in nonsurviving rabbits. Moreover, there was a strong positive correlation (r = 0.68, p < 0.001) between protein C consumption and kidney fibrin deposition. We conclude that r-hirudin can be a useful drug in the clinical treatment of DIC

Acute generalized, widespread bleeding. Diagnosis and management

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Acute generalized, widespread bleeding is often related to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a pathologic process which complicates the clinical course of many diseases and is characterized by huge amounts of thrombin and plasmin within the circulation. The final result is the consumption of platelets, coagulation factors and inhibitors, as well as secondary hyperfibrinolysis, all leading to diffuse hemorrhage and microthromboses. This review article examines the present attitudes to the diagnosis and treatment of overt DIC in clinical practice, emphasizing the importance of an accurate differential diagnosis from some other processes characterized by acute generalized, widespread bleeding. INFORMATION SOURCES: The authors have been working in this field, both at experimental and clinical levels, contributing original papers for many years. In addition, material examined in this review includes articles published in journals covered by MedLine, recent reviews in journals with high impact factor and in relevant books on hemostasis and thrombosis. STATE OF ART AND PERSPECTIVES: DIC is an intermediary mechanism of disease which complicates the clinical course of many well-known disorders. Although the systemic hemorrhagic syndrome is the predominant clinical manifestation, massive intravascular thrombosis frequently occurs contributing to ischemia and associated organ damage, making the mortality rate of this condition high. Current concepts on the pathophysiology, laboratory diagnosis and management of DIC are presented. Complex pathophysiological interrelations make the diagnosis of the etiology of the DIC difficult in clinical practice, although simple tests are useful for identification of patients with the process. Laboratory diagnosis of DIC is mainly based on screening assays, which allow a rapid diagnosis, whereas some other highly sensitive but more complex assays are not always available to routine clinical laboratories. The management of DIC is based on the treatment of the underlying disease, supportive and replacement therapies and the control of the coagulation mechanisms. Although some advances have been achieved, management decisions are still controversial, so that therapy should be highly individualized depending on the nature of the DIC and severity of clinical symptoms. Many syndromes sharing common findings with DIC, such as primary hyperfibrinolysis or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, should be excluded. Finally, new therapeutic approaches to the management of this potentially catastrophic syndrome are require

Method for optimization of statically determined articulated structures

Se ha desarrollado un algoritrr)o de programación matemática para el dimensionamiento óptimo de estructuras articuladas isostáticas. El algoritmo propuesto se caracteriza por: a) No requerir que la función objetivo o las ecuaciones de restricción sean derivables. b) Utilizan métodos de optimización unidimensionales para pasar de una solución dada a otra mejor, c) Introducir procedimientos aleatorios para obtener información que conduce a una solución mejor. Estas características lo hacen especialmente indicado para funciones no explícitas, costosas en su evaluación y con gran cantidad de mínimos relativos. Se ilustra el método con dos ejemplos de diseño óptimo de estructuras articuladas estáticamente determinadasAn algorithm of mathematical programmation for the optimum dis'fgn of iso-static articúlate structures has been developed. The characteristics of the proposed algorithm are: a) It not requires that the objective function or the restriction equations be derivable. b) They use unidimensional methods of unidimensional optimization ío pass over from a g/Ven so/ut/on to a better one. c) To introduce contingent procedures to obtain Information which leads to a better solution. Those characteristics make it specially recommended for non-explicit functions, costly in its evaluation with a great deal of relative mínimums. The method is explained by two exampies of óptima! design of statiscally determined articulated structure

Distribución temporal de las características Fisico-Químicas y Biológicas de las aguas de algunos ecosistemas acuáticos del Baio Guadalquivir (SW. España) a lo largo de un ciclo anual

A lo largo de un ciclo anual se estudia la variaci&oacute;n temporal de cuatro par&aacute;metros f&iacute;sicos: temperatura, transparencia, nivel y del agua; ocho par&aacute;metros quirnicos: cloruros, s&oacute;lidos disueltos, pH, reserva alcalina, ox&iacute;geno disuelto, f&oacute;sforo, nitr&oacute;geno y silicio; dos par&aacute;metros biol&oacute;gicos: clorofila &lt;&gt; e indice de Pigmentos D430/D665, en cuatro ecosistemas acu&aacute;ticos de gran inter&eacute;s en el &aacute;rea del Bajo Guadalquivir: Lucio del Aro y Ca&ntilde;o Travieso( marisma), Laguna de santa Olalla (arenas de la zona peridunar) y Laguna de Medina (endorreismo b&eacute;tico). Los tres primeros medios acu&aacute;ticos est&aacute;n localizados dentro del Parque Nacional de Do&ntilde;ana. El cicIo estudiado corresponde a los a&ntilde;os 1977 y 1978. Se obtienen valores medios y de dispersi&oacute;n de los paretros ambientales considerados, as&iacute; como la evoluci&oacute;n de los mismos a lo largo del per&iacute;odo del estudio. Los resultados se interpretan en relaci&oacute;n con las interacciones din&aacute;micas entre los componentes abi&oacute;ticos y bi&oacute;ticos del ecosistema.On a &eacute;tudi&eacute;, pendant un cycle annuel, la variation temporelle de quatre param&eacute;tres physiques: tempera ture, transparence, niveau et profondeur de l'eau huit param&eacute;tres chimiques: chlorures, solidez dissous, pH, reserve alcaline, oxyg&eacute;ne dissous, phospore, nitrog&eacute;ne et silice, et deux param&eacute;tres biologiques: chlorophylle &laquo;a&raquo; et index de pigments Dzsub&gt;430/P665, dans quatre &eacute;cosyst&eacute;mes aquatiques de gran int&eacute;r&eacute;t, dans la zone du Bas-Guadalquivir: Lucio del Aro et Ca&ntilde;o Travieso (marais), Lacune de Santa Olalla (sables de la zone peridunaire) et Lacune de Medina (secteur endor&eacute;ique b&eacute;tique). Les trois premiers appartiennent au territoire occup&eacute; par le Pare National de Do&ntilde;ana. La p&eacute;riode d'&eacute;tude a compris le cycle annuel entre les ann&eacute;es 1977-1978. On a obtenu les caleurs moyennes et de dispersi&oacute;n des param&eacute;tres du milieu consideres, ainsi que leur &eacute;volution pendant la p&eacute;riode d'&eacute;tude. Les r&eacute;sultats peuvent &eacute;tre interpretes en rapport aux interactions dynamiques dans les composantes abiotiques et biotiques de l'&eacute;cosyst&eacute;me

Evidence that heparin but not hirudin reduces PAI-1 expression in cultured human endothelial cells

Heparin and other antithrombotic drugs besides their anticoagulant action could have a profibrinolytic effect. We have analyzed the effect of unfractionated heparin (UFH) and hirudin on PAI-1 gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Cells were stimulated with UFH (1 and 10 IU/ml) and hirudin (20 and 100 TIU/ml). Samples were obtained before and 2, 6, and 24 hours after stimulation. mRNA analysis was conducted by reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction, and PAI-1 antigen was determined by ELISA. Addition of UFH (10 IU/ml) to HUVEC resulted in a decrease of PAI-1 mRNA at 6 hours (40% reduction) and 24 hours (60% reduction) and PAI-1 antigen. Hirudin, however, did not modify significantly the PAI-1 mRNA nor the inhibitor secretion. The addition of UFH (10 or 100 IU/ml) to endotoxin-stimulated HUVEC also reduced the increased PAI-1 mRNA and antigen secretion (45%), whereas no effect could be observed with hirudin. Our results suggest that UFH, but not hirudin, by reducing the endothelial expression of PAI-1 might have a profibrinolytic effect

Size effects on the Neél temperature of antiferromagnetic NiO nanoparticles

Among all antiferromagnetic transition metal monoxides, NiO presents the highest Neél temperature (TN ~ 525 K). In this work, the size-dependent reduction of TN in NiO nanoparticles with average diameters (D) ranging from 4 to 9 nm is investigated by neutron diffraction. The scaling law followed by TN(D) is in agreement with the Binder theory of critical phenomena in low-dimensional systems. X-ray absorption fine structure measurements link the decrease of TN to the occurrence of size effects (average undercoordination, bond relaxation and static disorder) in the nearest and next-nearest Ni coordination shells that hold the key for the maintenance of the antiferromagnetic order

Hemostatic markers in surgery: a different fibrinolytic activity may be of pathophysiological significance in orthopedic versus abdominal surgery

Without prophylaxis, patients subjected to major abdominal surgery have a risk of deep vein thrombosis of approximately 30%, while the rate varies between 40% and 60% in orthopedic surgery. The reasons for this discrepancy are not completely understood. The present study was designed to compare the pre- and postoperative behavior of different coagulation and fibrinolysis parameters in patients undergoing both types of surgery, receiving low molecular weight heparin prophylaxis. Samples were taken before operation and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. The following parameters were assessed: prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, thrombin-antithrombin III complexes, fibrinopeptide A, tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor, plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes, and fibrin degradation products. We found a significant increase in the clotting markers postoperatively compared with preoperative values (P < 0.05), both in abdominal and orthopedic surgery, indicating a marked hemostatic activation which remained until postoperative day 7. A significant increase in plasminogen activator inhibitor (P < 0.01) and a decrease in tissue plasminogen activator and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes was also observed early after operation. The plasminogen activator inhibitor activity decreased, while tissue plasminogen activator and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin levels increased significantly on days 3 and 7 (P < 0.05). Fibrin degradation products significantly increased throughout the postoperative period (P < 0.01). Preoperatively, we found higher plasminogen activator inhibitor activity and lower tissue plasminogen activator and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes (P < 0.05) in patients undergoing hip replacement compared with abdominal surgery. Fibrin degradation products were also significantly lower on postoperative day 3 in patients undergoing hip replacement (P < 0.01). We suggest that the lower preoperative fibrinolytic activation observed in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery compared with abdominal surgery might have pathophysiological consequences. Our results also indicate that the hemostatic activation persists beyond the 7th postoperative day despite prophylaxis