Influencia de los materiales triásicos en la calidad del agua de algunos acuíferos kársticos del sur de Alicante (España)

Overexploitation of the aquifers of the Middle Vinalopó (SE Spain) has led to problems which, in many cases, are associated with groundwater salinization. The increase in salinity is considered to be due to the dissolution of mineral salts in the Triassic Keuper facies. Geophysical logging of various boreholes in three aquifers in this region confirms the presence of more mineralized waters at depth. The evidence suggests that the phenomenon of salinization results from mixing of these deep waters with more shallow ones. The fall in the ratio of freshwater to saltwater as overexploitation continues and the aquifer is emptied could explain the increased mineralization that has been observed at many boreholes that penetrate these aquifers.La fuerte presión sometida a los acuíferos del Medio Vinalopó (SE España) ha originado problemas de sobreexplotación, los cuales van asociados en un gran número de casos a la salinización del agua. El aumento de salinidad ha sido interpretado como debido a la disolución de sales provenientes de los materiales triásicos del Keuper. La testificación geofísica de diversos sondeos de tres acuíferos de esta región ha permitido constatar la presencia de aguas más mineralizadas en profundidad. Por tanto, todo indica que el fenómeno de la salinización se debe a la mezcla del agua más superficial con la profunda. La disminución de la relación agua dulce-agua salada, a medida que progresa la sobreexplotación y el vaciado del acuífero, podría explicar el aumento de la mineralización que han experimentado numerosas captaciones de estos acuíferos

Stochastic simulation of the spatial heterogeneity of deltaic hydrofacies accounting for the uncertainty of facies proportions

The spatial geological heterogeneity of an aquifer significantly affects groundwater storage, flow and the transport of solutes. In the particular case of coastal aquifers, spatial geological heterogeneity is also a major determining factor of the spatio-temporal patterns of water quality (salinity) due to seawater intrusion. While the hydraulics of coastal hydrogeology can be modeled effectively by various density flow equations, the aquifer geology is highly uncertain. A stochastic solution to the problem is to generate numerical realisations of the geology using sequential stratigraphy, geophysical models or geostatistical approaches. The geostatistical methods (two-point geostatistics, Markov chain models and multiple-point geostatistics) have the advantage of minimal data requirements, e.g., when the only data available are from cores from a few sparsely located boreholes. We provide an extension of sequential indicator simulation by including the uncertainty of the hydrofacies proportions in the simulation approach. We also deal with the problem of variogram estimation from sparse boreholes and we discuss the implicit transition probabilities and the connectivity of simulated realisations of a number of categorical variables. The variogram model used in the simulation of hydrofacies significantly influences the degree of connectivity of the hydrofacies in the simulated model. The choice of model is critical as connectivity determines the amount and extent of seawater intrusion and hence the environmental risk. The methodology is illustrated with a case study of the Andarax river delta, a coastal aquifer in south-eastern Spain. This is a semi-arid Mediterranean region in which the increasing use of, and demand for, groundwater is exacerbated by a transient tourist population that reaches its peak in the summer when the demand for the permanent population is at its highest. The work reported here provides a sound basis for designing flow simulation models for the optimal management of groundwater resources. This paper is an extended version of a presentation given at the 2012 GeoENV Conference held in Valencia, Spain.S. Jorreto-Zaguirre, P.A. Dowd, E. Pardo-Igúzquiza, A. Pulido-Bosch and F. Sánchez-Marto

MANEJO Y CONTROL DEL SÍNDROME DE ABSTINENCIA

Introduction.- Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a term used to denote a group of problems facing the newborn when he or she is no longer exposed to substances, drugs or narcotics. The dramatic increase in drug addiction in our population at the present time does not exclude women at the age of conception. A high number of women consume legal or illegal drugs during pregnancy and this is the cause of a public health problem that has great clinical, social and psychological repercussions for the newborn. It is estimated that one out of every 10 newborns may have been exposed to drugs during the intrauterine period. The abused drugs that the pregnant woman might consume are very varied as are its effects on the fetus and the neonate. NAS is going to become much more frequent (55-94% who are exposed to opiates or heroine). In this study we will concentrate on the NAS produced by opiate abstinence, given that more than 66% of children of women who depend on this type of drug show signs of NAS. The syndrome start date varied from shortly after birth, until two weeks of age. The signs appear about 72 hours after birth in most cases. The symptoms last from 8 to 16 weeks or more. Objectives.- Given its importance it is hoped that a standardized protocol might be established which could serve as a guide to nurses who work in Neonatology Units. Methodology (materials and methods).- A documented study has been carried out about NAS and the nursing process has been used as the instrument for executing protocol. The diagnostic protocol use nomenclature according to the (NANDA) North American Nursing Diagnosis Association. The nursing interventions are according to the NIC system (Nursing Interventions Classification) and the evaluation of results according to the NOC system (Nursing Outcomes Classification). The NOC system attempts to control the results after the various interventions in an immediate way and in the long term. Conclusions.- It is vitally important to use methodological instruments such as the nursing process (which should include diagnosis, interventions and results) for the elaboration and setting up of care protocols and for guaranteeing the quality and continuity of these protocols. Health education and the interaction between the nursing team and parents is very relevant in order to avoid possible hospital re-admittance and to achieve good quality care after hospital discharge.Objetivos: Dada su importancia, se pretende elaborar un protocolo estandarizado que sirva de guía a los enfermeros que trabajan en Unidades de Neonatología. Metodología (material y método): Se ha realizado un trabajo documental sobre el síndrome de abstinencia neonatal y se ha utilizado el proceso enfermero como instrumento para la realización del protocolo. Los Diagnósticos utilizados responden a la nomenclatura según la (NANDA)1 North American Nursing Diagnosis Association. Las intervenciones de enfermería están reflejadas según la clasificación (NIC)2 Nursing Interventions Classification y la evaluación de resultados según la clasificación (NOC)3 Nursing Outcomes Classification, que trata de controlar los resultados tras las distintas intervenciones de manera inmediata y a largo plazo. Diagnósticos (NANDA): Son la definición de los problemas detectados, desde el punto de vista de la patología serían problemas interdisciplinares (se afrontarían por el equipo multidisciplinar), u orientados a las respuestas humanas, problemas independientes (afrontados por el equipo de enfermería). Resultados esperados.- Son los objetivos que la enfermera pretende alcanzar. Vienen relacionados con el problema detectado y en cada caso se eligen los más adecuados según el criterio de la enfermera. Siguen la clasificación NOC Clasificación CRE (Clasificación de los Resultados de Enfermería). Intervenciones de enfermeria.- Están descritas en la clasificación NIC (Nursing Interventions Classification) Clasificación de Intervenciones de Enfermería (CIE) y precisan de una valoración continua de las mismas

SARS-CoV-2 introductions and early dynamics of the epidemic in Portugal

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal was rapidly implemented by the National Institute of Health in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, in collaboration with more than 50 laboratories distributed nationwide. Methods By applying recent phylodynamic models that allow integration of individual-based travel history, we reconstructed and characterized the spatio-temporal dynamics of SARSCoV-2 introductions and early dissemination in Portugal. Results We detected at least 277 independent SARS-CoV-2 introductions, mostly from European countries (namely the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland), which were consistent with the countries with the highest connectivity with Portugal. Although most introductions were estimated to have occurred during early March 2020, it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 was silently circulating in Portugal throughout February, before the first cases were confirmed. Conclusions Here we conclude that the earlier implementation of measures could have minimized the number of introductions and subsequent virus expansion in Portugal. This study lays the foundation for genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal, and highlights the need for systematic and geographically-representative genomic surveillance.We gratefully acknowledge to Sara Hill and Nuno Faria (University of Oxford) and Joshua Quick and Nick Loman (University of Birmingham) for kindly providing us with the initial sets of Artic Network primers for NGS; Rafael Mamede (MRamirez team, IMM, Lisbon) for developing and sharing a bioinformatics script for sequence curation (https://github.com/rfm-targa/BioinfUtils); Philippe Lemey (KU Leuven) for providing guidance on the implementation of the phylodynamic models; Joshua L. Cherry (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) for providing guidance with the subsampling strategies; and all authors, originating and submitting laboratories who have contributed genome data on GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org/) on which part of this research is based. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government. This study is co-funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (234_596874175) on behalf of the Research 4 COVID-19 call. Some infrastructural resources used in this study come from the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184), supported by COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A context-specific boundary object to strengthen collaborations across science, policy and society

Science-policy interfaces (SPIs) are social processes that are avenues for addressing sustainability challenges through strengthening collaborations between researchers, decision makers and social actors. These transdisciplinary experiences provide a framework wherein scientific advances, policy needs and societal concerns can be coupled to increase the understating of complex problems and identify collective solutions to solve them. However, many studies have highlighted the need to develop and refine tools and operational methods to operationalize SPIs. Here, we present a SPI experience for addressing day-to-day problems in the southeastern Spanish dryland (López- Rodríguez et al., 2015). To facilitate mutual understanding and generate trust between participants we used (1) a knowledge brokering approach based on six interlinked workshops, and (2) a context-specific boundary object specifically designed to put into practice the transdisciplinary process. The boundary object is a graphical tool (triangle) for diagnosing environmental problems using three gradients based on a standardized punctuation for each one (on a 0-3 scale), namely of: (i) the scientific knowledge (i.e. the scientific evidence available about the specific problem); (ii) the regulatory capacity (i.e. the current legislative framework relevant to articulating public administration solutions); (iii) public engagement (which reflects the social relevance of the specific problems to the general public). In this gradient 0 represents that scientific knowledge, regulatory capacity or public engagement not being relevant for solving the environmental problem in the short term; whereas 3 represents high scientific evidence, regulatory capacity and that public engagement is available to address the problem. Throughout the SPI, 12 environmental problems (5 related to water management and 7 related to biodiversity loss) were identified and agreed as priorities in the region. Then, each problem was, collectively, rated differently for each dimensionusing the boundary object. The use of this boundary object allowed (1) aligning scientific knowledge with specific management goals and societal demands, and (2) promoting the implementation of science-based actions through collaborative work between scientists, decision makers and social actors. These insights provide a useful contextual orientation for conducting similar experiences in other social-ecological and political-administrative contexts. Reference: López-Rodríguez, M.D., Castro, A.J., Castro, H, Jorreto, S., Cabello, J. 2015. Science-Policy interface for addressing environmental problems in arid Spain. Environmental Science and Policy 50: 1–14.peerReviewe