Keeping watch over Colombia’s slumbering volcanoes

The Volcanological and Seismological Observatories of Manizales, Pasto and Popayan (Colombian Geological Survey) monitor and study the active volcanoes of Colombia using seismological, geodetic, geochemical and other techniques. Since 2009, permanent GNSS stations have been installed to complement classical geodetic measurements (e.g., tilt, EDM). At the moment, there are a total of 20 GNSS stations installed at Nevado del Ruiz, Cerro Machín, Puracé and Galeras volcanoes. Nevado del Ruiz has remained the most dynamic of the active Colombian volcanoes since its tragic eruption of 13 November 1985. The most significant deformation occurred between 2007 and 2012, when inflation, associated with magma migration and several small to moderate explosive eruptions in 2012 (VEI less or equal to 3), was observed. Galeras has experienced more than 25 moderate Vulcanian eruptions (VEI less or equal to 3) since 1989. In particular, the deformation network detected significant signals associated with magma migration and the extrusion of lava domes in 1991, 2005, 2008 and 2012. Puracé volcano has been the site of more than 10 minor eruptive episodes (VEI=2) in the past century, most recently in 1977. Monitoring of this volcano started in 1994. Unrest at Puracé since that time has been characterized by significant increases in seismic activity but with little or no deformation. We employ GAMIT/GLOBK to process GPS data from the monitoring network with support from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (U.S. Geological Survey). Additionally, differential processing is carried out using the commercial package Trimble 4D Control. Preliminary results for 2012 show no significant deformation at Puracé and Galeras volcanoes. On the other hand, the time series from Nevado del Ruiz shows a minor inflation (2-4 cm/yr) associated with the eruptive activity of 2012

Applications of Deep Learning in Financial Intermediation: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract In finance, an infinite amount of datais generated daily, which is important for decision-making in the business world. Consequently, there is a need to create models that help to process and interpret this data. Deep learning has demonstrated important advances in the processing of large amounts of data, and for this reason, the objective of this systematic review of literature corresponds to the search for applications, deep learning model and techniques that were used to solve problems in the financial area. For this purpose, out of 346 articles found, 20 were selected that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria corresponding to the research questions. Among the most common applications, models, and techniques were: prediction in market actions, sales forecasting, detection of fraud risks and tax evasion; with respect to the models, convolutional neural networks CNN and recurrent neural networks RNN were among the most executed; the ReLu and Sigmoid techniques turned out to be the most used in these models.   Keywords: deep learning, finance, machine learning, Convolutional Neural Network CNN, Recurrent Neural Network RN

Dinámica del agua del suelo en dos microcuencas ante cambios en el manejo agrícola : en Córdoba, Argentina

Los ambientes semiáridos son más frágiles en cuanto a los recursos, especialmente las lluvias, lo que condiciona la producción agropecuaria. Por lo tanto, deberían aplicarse las buenas prácticas agrícolas. En este trabajo se analizó el cambio provocado por el manejo del suelo en Córdoba, Argentina. Se evaluaron dos microcuencas: una no sistematizada y otra sistematizada con terrazas paralelas de desagüe. El manejo pasó de monocultivo de soja a rotaciones estivales con cultivos de cobertura. Los resultados indicaron que a medida que se intensifica el uso, los valores de agua del suelo en ambas microcuencas son menores. Los períodos de recarga y consumo son más marcados en la microcuenca con terrazas. Es decir, el cambio en el manejo del suelo provocó cambios en la dinámica del agua edáfica en ambas microcuencas.Semi-arid environments are more fragile in terms of resources, especially rainfall, which conditions agricultural production. Good agricultural practices should therefore be applied. This work evaluated the change brought about by soil management in Córdoba, Argentina. Two micro-basins were evaluated: one non-systematized and the other systematized with parallel drainage terraces. Management went from soy monoculture to summer rotations with cover crops. The results indicated that as the use intensifies, the soil water values in both micro-basins are smaller. The periods of recharge and consumption are more marked in the micro-basin with terraces. That is to say, the change in the management of the soil caused changes in the dynamics of the edaphic water in both micro-basins.Fil: Vettorello, C. Universidad Nacional de CórdobaFil: Molina, Ordoñez. Universidad Nacional de CórdobaFil: Esmoriz, G.. Universidad Nacional de Córdob

A web-based application to simulate alternatives for sustainable forest management: SIMANFOR

Producción CientíficaGrowth and yield models at different scales are useful tools for forest stakeholders. Adequate simulation of forest stand conditions after different silvicultural scenarios allows stakeholders to adopt appropriate actions to maintain forest integrity while forest products and services are obtained to benefit society as a whole. SIMANFOR is a platform to simulate sustainable forest management alternatives, integrating different modules to manage forest inventories, simulate and project stand conditions and maintain systems security and integrity. SIMANFOR output is compatible with an Office environment (Microsoft or Open), allowing users to exchange data and files between SIMANFOR and their own software. New developments are being planned under a web 2.0 environment to take advantage of user input to improve SIMANFOR in the future

Bilateral adrenalectomy for asynchronous metastases of a malignant melanoma

Indexación: Web of Science; Scielo.Clinical case: We report a 70 years old male with a history of an ear lobe melanoma with was excised seven years ago, who had a bronchial relapse and required a right pneumonectomy. During a follow up abdominal CAT scan, a 9 cm tumor in the left adrenal gland was detected. The patient was operated, performing a left adrenalectomy and nephrectomy. The pathologic study confirmed the presence of a fusocellular melanoma. One year later, a right adrenal mass was detected and excised. The pathological study of the piece again confirmed a metastasis of a malignant melanoma. The patient died due to progression of the disease, 10 years after the adrenalectomy. Key words: Adrenal metastases, laparoscopic adrenalectomy, melanoma.Objetivo: Presentar un caso de metástasis suprarrenal bilateral asincrónica de Melanoma cutáneo tratado con adrenalectomía laparoscópica bilateral. Caso clínico: Paciente de 70 años con antecedente de melanoma del pabellón auricular extirpado 7 años antes de su consulta urológica. Posteriormente, presenta una recidiva bronquial tratada con quimioterapia, radioterapia y neumonectomía derecha. En sus exámenes de seguimiento una Tomografía computada muestra el hallazgo incidental de una lesión tumoral de 9 cm en la glándula suprarrenal izquierda. Se realizó nefrectomía y adrenalectomía izquierda laparoscópica en bloque sin incidencias. El análisis histopatológico confirmó el hallazgo de una metástasis de melanoma fuso-celular. Un año después el paciente presenta un nuevo hallazgo incidental de un tumor de 3 cm en la glándula suprarrenal derecha, la cual fue tratada con adrenalectomía laparoscópica, y cuyo análisis histopatológico demostró metástasis de melanoma maligno. El paciente fallece por progresión de su enfermedad 10 años después de su cirugía suprarrenal. Conclusiones: En los pacientes con metástasis suprarrenal de melanoma, la adrenalectomía incrementa la supervivencia cáncer especifica en relación a los pacientes tratados sin cirugía. El abordaje laparoscópico constituye una alternativa terapéutica con menor morbilidad que la cirugía abierta en cirujanos con experiencia laparoscópica. Palabras clave: Metástasis suprarrenal, adrenalectomía laparoscópica, melanoma.http://ref.scielo.org/mymgk

Determinación de las condiciones óptimas para la obtención de un fertilizante fosfatado a partir de la roca fosfórica cubana

(Eng) In order to reach food security in the country, it is necessary to intensify the production of fertilizers in a sustainable manner in order to obtain increases in productivity, generate economic profits, and increase the use of national raw materials to reduce imports. For these reasons it is necessary to determine the optimum conditions for the process of obtaining Single Superphosphate (SFS), from the phosphate rock and sulfuric acid at lab scale, and thus determine the values ​​of the variables which intervene in that process and assure the maximum quality of the product. To carry out the research, the rotational centered factorial design 22 with star points was used in 13 experimental runs and an experiment matrix was elaborated with the independent variables, acid / rock ratio and percentage of sulfuric acid, in the range of 1.61-2.06 and 65% -75% respectively. As a result it was obtained that the optimum parameters in the range studied for the benefited Cuban rock are: H2SO4 concentration of 72% and acid / rock ratio of 2.02. The quality indexes of the Superphosphate Simple cured obtained with the optimum parameters are: assimilable phosphorus content of 12.28%, humidity 8.21% and free acidity 2.05%; acting in accordance with international product specifications.(Spa) Con la finalidad de lograr la seguridad alimentaria en el país, es necesario intensificar de manera sostenible la producción de fertilizantes para obtener incrementos de productividad y generar ganancias económicas, potenciando el uso de materias primas nacionales para disminuir las importaciones. Es por ello que, en este trabajo se realizó el estudio de la determinación de las condiciones óptimas del proceso de obtención de Superfosfato Sencillo (SFS) a escala de laboratorio, a partir de la roca fosfórica y el ácido sulfúrico y con ello determinar los valores de las variables que intervienen en el mismo, y que aseguren la máxima calidad del producto. Para la realización de la investigación se utilizó el diseño factorial centrado rotacional 22 con puntos estrellas en 13 corridas experimentales y se elaboró una matriz de experimentos con las variables independientes, relación ácido/roca y porcentaje de ácido sulfúrico, en el intervalo de 1.61-2.06 y 65%-75% respectivamente. Como resultado se obtuvo que los parámetros óptimos en el intervalo estudiado para la roca cubana beneficiada fueron: concentración de H2SO4 de 72% y la relación ácido/roca de 2.02. Los índices de calidad del Superfosfato Sencillo curado obtenido con los parámetros óptimos son: contenido de fósforo asimilable de 12.28%, humedad 8.21% y acidez libre 2.05%; cumpliendo de forma general con especificaciones internacionales del producto

Fase de diagnóstico del estudio: Contribución de la diversidad arbórea a los medios de vida para la adaptación y la mitigación al cambio climático

El estudio “Contribución de la diversidad arbórea a los medios de vida para la adaptación y la mitigación al cambio climático” busca describir y cuantificar la contribución de los árboles a la capacidad de adaptación al cambio climático de las familias rurales en tres territorios de Nicaragua y uno en Costa Rica. La fase inicial de este estudio se concentró en desarrollar una línea de base que contribuirá a lo siguiente: 1. Describir las principales características de los hogares, la diversidad de los medios de vida a nivel de hogar y cuáles son los principales sistemas de producción en los sitios de estudio 2. Entender cuáles han sido los principales cambios que las familias han realizado en los últimos 10 años con respecto a cultivos y manejo de cultivos, tierras y agua en sus fincas 3. Determinar cuáles han sido los principales factores determinantes de los cambios observados y cuáles de estos factores están directamente relacionados a la variabilidad del clim

Evaluation and validation of forest models: Insight from Mediterranean and scots pine models in Spain

Producción CientíficaForest models predict tree and stand evolution under different scenarios, thereby supporting decision-making in forest management. Models are complex structures composed of sub-models that estimate forest variables at tree and stand levels. Prediction accuracy has generally been evaluated independently of the model. Integrated sub-models make forest models easier to use and provide predictions for growth, survival, ingrowth and many other tree and stand variables with reduced effort. However, while individual submodel validation is widely practiced and normally done by each author individually, joint model validation remains less explored. This study deploys a useful methodology for evaluating and validating models. After comparing observed and predicted data, several case studies were then proposed to improve the accuracy of the joint model. We used the IBERO model, data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory and the SIMANFOR simulator platform. The accuracy of growth submodels was improved by calibrating their equations, though accuracy was not improved in survival and ingrowth submodels.FEDER - Junta de Castilla y León (CLU-2019-01 y CL-EI-2021-05)Project COMFOR-SUDOE: Integrated and intelligent management of complex forests and mixed-species plantations in Southwest Europe (SOE4/PA/E1012)Project SMART: Bosques mixtos : selvicultura, mitigación, adaptación, resiliencia y trade-offs (VA183P20)Project Integrated Forest Management along complexity gradients (IMFLEX) (PID2021-1262750B-C229

Community-based incidence of acute renal failure

There is limited information about the true incidence of acute renal failure (ARF). Most studies could not quantify disease frequency in the general population as they are hospital-based and confounded by variations in threshold and the rate of hospitalization. Earlier studies relied on diagnostic codes to identify non-dialysis requiring ARF. These underestimated disease incidence since the codes have low sensitivity. Here we quantified the incidence of non-dialysis and dialysis-requiring ARF among members of a large integrated health care delivery system – Kaiser Permanente of Northern California. Non-dialysis requiring ARF was identified using changes in inpatient serum creatinine values. Between 1996 and 2003, the incidence of non-dialysis requiring ARF increased from 322.7 to 522.4 whereas that of dialysis-requiring ARF increased from 19.5 to 29.5 per 100 000 person-years. ARF was more common in men and among the elderly, although those aged 80 years or more were less likely to receive acute dialysis treatment. We conclude that the use of serum creatinine measurements to identify cases of non-dialysis requiring ARF resulted in much higher estimates of disease incidence compared with previous studies. Both dialysis-requiring and non-dialysis requiring ARFs are becoming more common. Our data underscore the public health importance of ARF