Global database on large magnitude explosive volcanic eruptions (LaMEVE)

© 2012 Crosweller et al. To facilitate the assessment of hazards and risk from volcanoes, we have created a comprehensive global database of Quaternary Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE). This forms part of the larger Volcanic Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA), and also forms part of the Global Volcano Model (GVM) initiative (www.globalvolcanomodel.org). A flexible search tool allows users to select data on a global, regional or local scale; the selected data can be downloaded into a spreadsheet. The database is publically available online at www.bgs.ac. uk/vogripa and currently contains information on nearly 3,000 volcanoes and over 1,800 Quaternary eruption records. Not all volcanoes currently have eruptions associated with them but have been included to allow for easy expansion of the database as more data are found. Data fields include: Magnitude, Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), deposit volumes, eruption dates, and rock type. The scientific community is invited to contribute new data and also alert the database manager to potentially incorrect data. Whilst the database currently focuses only on large magnitude eruptions, it will be expanded to include data specifically relating to the principal volcanic hazards (e.g. pyroclastic flows, tephra fall, lahars, debris avalanches, ballistics), as well as vulnerability (e.g. population figures, building type) to facilitate risk assessments of future eruptions

Physical mechanisms and parameters for models of microstructure evolution under irradiation in Fe alloys – Part I: Pure Fe

This paper is the first of three that overview the main mechanisms that drive the microstructure evolution in Fe alloys under irradiation. It focuses on pure α-Fe and compiles the parameters that describe quantitatively the mobility and stability of point-defects and especially their clusters, including possible reactions and criteria to decide when they should react. These parameters are the result of several years of calculations and application in microstructure evolution models. They are mainly collected from the literature and the parameter choice tries to reconcile different sets of values that, while being in general qualitatively similar, are often quantitatively not coincident. A few calculation results are presented here for the first time to support specific approximations concerning defect properties or features. Since calculations cannot cover all possible defect configurations, the definition of these parameters often requires educated guesses to fill knowledge gaps. These guesses are here listed and discussed whenever relevant. This is therefore a “hands-on” paper that: (i) collects in a single report most microstructure evolution parameters that are found in the literature for irradiated α-Fe, including a discussion of the most important mechanisms at play based on current knowledge; (ii) selects a ready-to-use set that can be employed in microstructure evolution models, such as those based on object kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) methods. This work also identifies parameters that are needed, but not known, hopefully prompting corresponding calculations in the future.This work has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No. 755039 (M4F project). This research also contributes to the Joint Programme on Nuclear Materials of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA-JPNM)

Hacia la construcción de la plataforma integrada de información para el sector salud de México

Objetivo. Estandarizar técnica, funcional y operativamente los principales sistemas de información en salud de la Subsecretaria de Promoción y Prevención de la Salud de México (SPPS) de la Secretaría de Salud Federal (SSA). Metodología. Se realizó el diagnóstico de los sistemas de información de la SPPS y se priorizaron los hallazgos con base en los requerimientos y necesidades, para llevar a cabo las acciones de estandarización, mantenimiento y actualización. Resultados. Se evaluaron y realizaron mejoras a nueve sistemas de información, mismos que se encuentran operando de manera regular o en fase pre-operativa para el apoyo del monitoreo de programas preventivos.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Hacia la construcción de la plataforma integrada de información para el sector salud de México

Objetivo. Estandarizar técnica, funcional y operativamente los principales sistemas de información en salud de la Subsecretaria de Promoción y Prevención de la Salud de México (SPPS) de la Secretaría de Salud Federal (SSA). Metodología. Se realizó el diagnóstico de los sistemas de información de la SPPS y se priorizaron los hallazgos con base en los requerimientos y necesidades, para llevar a cabo las acciones de estandarización, mantenimiento y actualización. Resultados. Se evaluaron y realizaron mejoras a nueve sistemas de información, mismos que se encuentran operando de manera regular o en fase pre-operativa para el apoyo del monitoreo de programas preventivos.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Hacia la construcción de la plataforma integrada de información para el sector salud de México

Objetivo. Estandarizar técnica, funcional y operativamente los principales sistemas de información en salud de la Subsecretaria de Promoción y Prevención de la Salud de México (SPPS) de la Secretaría de Salud Federal (SSA). Metodología. Se realizó el diagnóstico de los sistemas de información de la SPPS y se priorizaron los hallazgos con base en los requerimientos y necesidades, para llevar a cabo las acciones de estandarización, mantenimiento y actualización. Resultados. Se evaluaron y realizaron mejoras a nueve sistemas de información, mismos que se encuentran operando de manera regular o en fase pre-operativa para el apoyo del monitoreo de programas preventivos.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Epidemiological Algorithm and Early Molecular Testing to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreaks in a Mexican Oncologic Center

Introduction: Prevention strategies and detection of latent COVID-19 infections in oncology staff and oncologic patients are essential to prevent outbreaks in a cancer center. In this study, we used two statistical predictive models in oncology staff and patients from the radiotherapy area to prevent outbreaks and detect COVID-19 cases. Methods: Staff and patients answered a questionnaire (electronic and paper surveys, respectively) with clinical and epidemiological information. The data was collected through two online survey tools: Real-Time Tracking (R-Track) and Summary of Factors (S-Facts). According to the algorithm\u27s models, cut-off values were established. SARS-CoV-2 qRT-PCR tests confirmed the algorithm\u27s positive individuals. Results: Oncology staff members (n=142) were tested, and 14% (n=20) were positives for the R-Track algorithm; 75% (n=15) were qRT-PCR positive. The S-Facts algorithm identified 7.75% (n=11) positive oncology staff members, and 81.82% (n=9) were qRT-PCR positive. Oncology patients (n=369) were evaluated, and 1.36% (n=5) were positive for the algorithms. The 5 patients (100%) were confirmed by qRT-PCR at a very early stage. Conclusions: The proposed algorithms could prove to become an essential prevention tool in countries where qRT-PCR tests and vaccines are insufficient for the population

Gene expression analyses determine two different subpopulations in KIT-negative GIST-like (KNGL) patients

Introduction: There are limited findings available on KIT-negative GIST-like (KNGL) population. Also, KIT expression may be post-transcriptionally regulated by miRNA221 and miRNA222. Hence, the aim of this study is to characterize KNGL population, by differential gene expression, and to analyze miRNA221/222 expression and their prognostic value in KNGL patients. Methods: KIT, PDGFRA, DOG1, IGF1R, MIR221 and MIR222 expression levels were determined by qRT-PCR. We also analyzed KIT and PDGFRA mutations, DOG1 expression, by immunohistochemistry, along with clinical and pathological data. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) differences were calculated using Log-rank test. Results: Hierarchical cluster analyses from gene expression data identified two groups: group I had KIT, DOG1 and PDGFRA overexpression and IGF1R underexpression and group II had overexpression of IGF1R and low expression of KIT, DOG1 and PDGFRA. Group II had a significant worse OS (p = 0.013) in all the series, and showed a tendency for worse OS (p = 0.11), when analyzed only the localized cases. MiRNA222 expression was significantly lower in a control subset of KIT-positive GIST (p < 0.001). OS was significantly worse in KNGL cases with higher expression of MIR221 (p = 0.028) or MIR222 (p = 0.014). Conclusions: We identified two distinct KNGL subsets, with a different prognostic value. Increased levels of miRNA221/222, which are associated with worse OS, could explain the absence of KIT protein expression of most KNGL tumors

Ground/space, passive/active remote sensing observations coupled with particle dispersion modelling to understand the inter-continental transport of wildfire smoke plumes

During the 2017 record-breaking burning season in Canada/United States, intense wild fires raged during the first week of September in the Pacific northwestern region (British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and northern California) burning mostly temperate coniferous forests. The heavy loads of smoke particles emitted in the atmosphere reached the Iberian Peninsula (IP) a few days later on 7 and 8 September. Satellite imagery allows to identify two main smoke clouds emitted during two different periods that were injected and transported in the atmosphere at several altitude levels. Columnar properties on 7 and 8 September at two Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) mid-altitude, background sites in northern and southern Spain are: aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 440 nm up to 0.62, Ångström exponent of 1.6–1.7, large dominance of small particles (fine mode fraction >0.88), low absorption AOD at 440 nm (0.98). Profiles from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) show the presence of smoke particles in the stratosphere during the transport, whereas the smoke is only observed in the troposphere at its arrival over the IP. Portuguese and Spanish ground lidar stations from the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network/Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network (EARLINET/ACTRIS) and the Micro-Pulse Lidar NETwork (MPLNET) reveal smoke plumes with different properties: particle depolarization ratio and color ratio, respectively, of 0.05 and 2.5 in the mid troposphere (5–9 km) and of 0.10 and 3.0 in the upper troposphere (10–13 km). In the mid troposphere the particle depolarization ratio does not seem time-dependent during the transport whereas the color ratio seems to increase (larger particles sediment first). To analyze the horizontal and vertical transport of the smoke from its origin to the IP, particle dispersion modelling is performed with the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) parameterized with satellite-derived biomass burning emission estimates from the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS) of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). Three compounds are simulated: carbon monoxide, black carbon and organic carbon. The results show that the first smoke plume which travels slowly reaches rapidly (~1 day) the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) but also shows evidence of large scale horizontal dispersion, while the second plume, entrained by strong subtropical jets, reaches the upper troposphere much slower (~2.5 days). Observations and dispersion modelling all together suggest that particle depolarization properties are enhanced during their vertical transport from the mid to the upper troposphere.Spanish groups acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (MINECO) (ref. CGL2013-45410-R, CGL2014-52877-R, CGL2014-55230-R, TEC2015-63832-P, CGL2015-73250-JIN, CGL2016-81092-R and CGL2017-85344-R)European Union through H2020 programme ACTRIS-2, grant 654109European Union through H2020 programme EUNADICS-AV, grant 723986European Union through H2020 programme GRASP-ACE, grant 77834

Molecular survey of pyrethroid resistance mechanisms in Mexican field populations of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

Susceptibility to synthetic pyrethroids (SP´s) and the role of two major resistance mechanisms were evaluated in Mexican Rhipicephalus microplus tick populations. Larval packet test (LPT), knock-down (kdr) PCR allele-specific assay (PASA) and esterase activity assays were conducted in tick populations for cypermethrin, flumethrin and deltamethrin. Esterase activity did not have a significant correlation with SP´s resistance. However a significant correlation (p < 0.01) was found between the presence of the sodium channel mutation, and resistance to SP´s as measured by PASA and LPT respectively. Just over half the populations (16/28) were cross-resistant to flumethrin, deltamethrin and cypermethrine, 21.4% of the samples (6/28) were susceptible to all of the three pyrethroids 10.7 of the samples (3/28) were resistant to flumethrin, 3.4 of the samples (1/28) were resistant to deltamethrin only and 7.1% (2/28) were resistant to flumethrin and deltamethrin. The presence of the kdr mutation correlates with resistance to the SP´s as a class. Target site insensitivity is the major mechanism of resistance to SP´s in Mexican R. microplus field strains, involving the presence of a sodium channel mutation, however, esterase-based, other mutations or combination of mechanisms can also occur

Can scenario-planning support community-based natural resource management? Experiences from three countries in latin america

Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) is a concept critical to managing socio-ecological systems, but whose implementation needs strengthening. Scenario-planning is one approach that may offer benefits relevant to CBNRM, but whose potential is not yet well understood. We therefore designed, trialled and evaluated a scenario-planning method intended to support CBNRM at three cases, located in Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. Implementing scenario-planning was judged as worthwhile in all three cases, although aspects of it could be challenging to facilitate. The benefits generated were relevant to strengthening CBNRM: encouraging the participation of local people and using their knowledge; enhanced consideration and adaption of future change; and supporting the development of systems thinking. Tracing exactly when and how these benefits arise is challenging, but two elements of the method seemed particularly useful. Firstly, using a systematic approach to discuss how drivers of change may affect local socio-ecological systems helped to foster systems thinking and identify connections between issues. Secondly, explicitly focusing on how to use and respond to scenarios helped identify specific practical activities ('response options') that would support CBNRM despite the pressures of future change. Discussions about response options also highlighted the need for support by other actors (e.g. policy groups): this raises the question of when and how other actors and other sources of knowledge should be involved in scenario-planning, so as to encourage their buy-in to actions identified by the process. We suggest other CBNRM initiatives may benefit from adapting and applying scenario-planning. However, these initiatives should be carefully monitored since further research is required to understand how and when scenario-planning methods may produce benefits, and their strengths and weaknesses versus other methods