249 research outputs found
El yacimiento kĂĄrstico del Pleistoceno Superior de la Cueva del Camino en el Calvero de la Higuera (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid)
Depto. de GeodinĂĄmica, EstratigrafĂa y PaleontologĂaFac. de Ciencias GeolĂłgicasTRUEpu
Spatial modeling for low pathogenicity avian influenza virus at the interface of wild birds and backyard poultry
Low pathogenicity avian influenza virus (LPAIV) is endemic in wild birds and poultry in Argentina, and active surveillance has been in place to prevent any eventual virus mutation into a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV), which is exotic in this country. Risk mapping can contribute effectively to disease surveillance and control systems, but it has proven a very challenging task in the absence of disease data. We used a combination of expert opinion elicitation, multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), and ecological niche modeling (ENM) to identify the most suitable areas for the occurrence of LPAIV at the interface between backyard domestic poultry and wild birds in Argentina. This was achieved by calculating a spatiallyâexplicit risk index. As evidenced by the validation and sensitivity analyses, our model was successful in identifying highârisk areas for LPAIV occurrence. Also, we show that the risk for virus occurrence is significantly higher in areas closer to commercial poultry farms. Although the active surveillance systems have been successful in detecting LPAIVâpositive backyard farms and wild birds in Argentina, our predictions suggest that surveillance efforts in those compartments could be improved by including highârisk areas identified by our model. Our research provides a tool to guide surveillance activities in the future, and presents a mixed methodological approach which could be implemented in areas where the disease is exotic or rare and a knowledgeâdriven modeling method is necessary
Theoretical analysis of the focusing of acoustic waves by two-dimensional sonic crystals
Motivated by a recent experiment on acoustic lenses, we perform numerical
calculations based on a multiple scattering technique to investigate the
focusing of acoustic waves with sonic crystals formed by rigid cylinders in
air. The focusing effects for crystals of various shapes are examined. The
dependance of the focusing length on the filling factor is also studied. It is
observed that both the shape and filling factor play a crucial role in
controlling the focusing. Furthermore, the robustness of the focusing against
disorders is studied. The results show that the sensitivity of the focusing
behavior depends on the strength of positional disorders. The theoretical
results compare favorably with the experimental observations, reported by
Cervera, et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 023902 (2002)).Comment: 8 figure
Characterization of concentrator receivers by an appropriate solar tester: system development and measurement procedure
CIRCE system is appropriate to perform a quality control of receivers in production line before being installed in a CPV modul
Scattering of elastic waves by periodic arrays of spherical bodies
We develop a formalism for the calculation of the frequency band structure of
a phononic crystal consisting of non-overlapping elastic spheres, characterized
by Lam\'e coefficients which may be complex and frequency dependent, arranged
periodically in a host medium with different mass density and Lam\'e
coefficients. We view the crystal as a sequence of planes of spheres, parallel
to and having the two dimensional periodicity of a given crystallographic
plane, and obtain the complex band structure of the infinite crystal associated
with this plane. The method allows one to calculate, also, the transmission,
reflection, and absorption coefficients for an elastic wave (longitudinal or
transverse) incident, at any angle, on a slab of the crystal of finite
thickness. We demonstrate the efficiency of the method by applying it to a
specific example.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, Phys. Rev. B (in press
VAMOS: a Pathfinder for the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory
VAMOS was a prototype detector built in 2011 at an altitude of 4100m a.s.l.
in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The aim of VAMOS was to finalize the design,
construction techniques and data acquisition system of the HAWC observatory.
HAWC is an air-shower array currently under construction at the same site of
VAMOS with the purpose to study the TeV sky. The VAMOS setup included six water
Cherenkov detectors and two different data acquisition systems. It was in
operation between October 2011 and May 2012 with an average live time of 30%.
Besides the scientific verification purposes, the eight months of data were
used to obtain the results presented in this paper: the detector response to
the Forbush decrease of March 2012, and the analysis of possible emission, at
energies above 30 GeV, for long gamma-ray bursts GRB111016B and GRB120328B.Comment: Accepted for pubblication in Astroparticle Physics Journal (20 pages,
10 figures). Corresponding authors: A.Marinelli and D.Zaboro
Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean diet: a healthy cardiovascular diet for weight loss
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ketogenic diets are an effective healthy way of losing weight since they promote a non-atherogenic lipid profile, lower blood pressure and decrease resistance to insulin with an improvement in blood levels of glucose and insulin. On the other hand, Mediterranean diet is well known to be one of the healthiest diets, being the basic ingredients of such diet the olive oil, red wine and vegetables. In Spain the fish is an important component of such diet. The objective of this study was to determine the dietary effects of a protein ketogenic diet rich in olive oil, salad, fish and red wine.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prospective study was carried out in 31 obese subjects (22 male and 19 female) with the inclusion criteria whose body mass index and age was 36.46 ± 2.22 and 38.48 ± 2.27, respectively. This Ketogenic diet was called "Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet" (SKMD) due to the incorporation of virgin olive oil as the principal source of fat (â„30 ml/day), moderate red wine intake (200â400 ml/day), green vegetables and salads as the main source of carbohydrates and fish as the main source of proteins. It was an unlimited calorie diet. Statistical differences between the parameters studied before and after the administration of the "Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean diet" (week 0 and 12) were analyzed by paired Student's <it>t </it>test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was an extremely significant (p < 0.0001) reduction in body weight (108.62 kgâ 94.48 kg), body mass index (36.46 kg/m<sup>2</sup>â31.76 kg/m<sup>2</sup>), systolic blood pressure (125.71 mmHgâ109.05 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (84.52 mmHgâ 75.24 mmHg), total cholesterol (208.24 mg/dlâ186.62 mg/dl), triacylglicerols (218.67 mg/dlâ113.90 mg/dl) and glucose (109.81 mg/dlâ 93.33 mg/dl). There was a significant (p = 0.0167) reduction in LDLc (114.52 mg/dlâ105.95 mg/dl) and an extremely significant increase in HDLc (50.10 mg/dlâ54.57 mg/dl). The most affected parameter was the triacylglicerols (47.91% of reduction).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The SKMD is safe, an effective way of losing weight, promoting non-atherogenic lipid profiles, lowering blood pressure and improving fasting blood glucose levels. Future research should include a larger sample size, a longer term use and a comparison with other ketogenic diets.</p
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