Effects of Orientations, Aspect Ratios, Pavement Materials and Vegetation Elements on Thermal Stress inside Typical Urban Canyons

The analysis of local climate conditions to test artificial urban boundaries and related climate hazards through modelling tools should become a common practice to inform public authorities about the benefits of planning alternatives. Different finishing materials and sheltering objects within urban canyons (UCs) can be tested, predicted and compared through quantitative and qualitative understanding of the relationships between the microclimatic environment and subjective thermal assessment. This process can work as support planning instrument in the early design phases as has been done in this study that aims to analyze the thermal stress within typical UCs of Bilbao (Spain) in summertime through the evaluation of Physiologically Equivalent Temperature using ENVI-met. The UCs are characterized by different orientations, height-to-width aspect ratios, pavement materials, trees’ dimensions and planting pattern. Firstly, the current situation was analyzed; secondly, the effects of asphalt and red brick stones as streets’ pavement materials were compared; thirdly, the benefits of vegetation elements were tested. The analysis demonstrated that orientation and aspect ratio strongly affect the magnitude and duration of the thermal peaks at pedestrian level; while the vegetation elements improve the thermal comfort up to two thermophysiological assessment classes. The outcomes of this study, were transferred and visualized into green planning recommendations for new and consolidated urban areas in Bilbao.The work leading to these results has received funding from COST Action TU0902, the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under Grant Agreement No. 308497, Project RAMSES—Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities (2012–2017) and Diputación Foral de Bizkaia Exp. 6-12-TK-2010-0027, Project SICURB-ITS- Desarrollo de Sistemas para el análisis de la Contaminación atmosférica en zonas URBanas integrados en ITS (2010–2011)

Detection of growth-related QTLs in turbot (Scophtalmus maximux)

Background The turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is a highly appreciated European aquaculture species. Growth related traits constitute the main goal of the ongoing genetic breeding programs of this species. The recent construction of a consensus linkage map in this species has allowed the selection of a panel of 100 homogeneously distributed markers covering the 26 linkage groups (LG) suitable for QTL search. In this study we addressed the detection of QTL with effect on body weight, length and Fulton's condition factor. Results Eight families from two genetic breeding programs comprising 814 individuals were used to search for growth related QTL using the panel of microsatellites available for QTL screening. Two different approaches, maximum likelihood and regression interval mapping, were used in order to search for QTL. Up to eleven significant QTL were detected with both methods in at least one family: four for weight on LGs 5, 14, 15 and 16; five for length on LGs 5, 6, 12, 14 and 15; and two for Fulton's condition factor on LGs 3 and 16. In these LGs an association analysis was performed to ascertain the microsatellite marker with the highest apparent effect on the trait, in order to test the possibility of using them for marker assisted selection. Conclusions The use of regression interval mapping and maximum likelihood methods for QTL detection provided consistent results in many cases, although the high variation observed for traits mean among families made it difficult to evaluate QTL effects. Finer mapping of detected QTL, looking for tightly linked markers to the causative mutation, and comparative genomics are suggested to deepen in the analysis of QTL in turbot so they can be applied in marker assisted selection programs

Respirometric assessment of bacterial kinetics in algae-bacteria and activated sludge processes

Algae-bacteria (AB) consortia can be exploited for effective wastewater treatment, based on photosynthetic oxygenation to reduce energy requirements for aeration. While algal kinetics have been extensively evaluated, bacterial kinetics in AB systems are still based on parameters taken from the activated sludge models, lacking an experimental validation for AB consortia. A respirometric procedure was therefore proposed, to estimate bacterial kinetics in both activated sludge and AB, under different conditions of temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and substrate availability. Bacterial activities were differently influenced by operational/environmental conditions, suggesting that the adoption of typical activated sludge parameters could be inadequate for AB modelling. Indeed, respirometric results show that bacteria in AB consortia were adapted to a wider range of conditions, compared to activated sludge, confirming that a dedicated calibration of bacterial kinetics is essential for effectively modelling AB systems, and respirometry was proven to be a powerful and reliable tool to this purpose

Poor sleep quality, antepartum depression and suicidal ideation among pregnant women.

To evaluate the independent and combined associations of maternal self-reported poor sleep quality and antepartum depression with suicidal ideation during the third trimester METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1298 pregnant women (between 24 and 28 gestational weeks) attending prenatal clinics in Lima, Peru. Antepartum depression and suicidal ideation were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire was used to assess sleep quality. Multivariate logistical regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) after adjusting for putative confounders. Approximately, 17% of women were classified as having poor sleep quality (defined using the recommended criteria of PSQI global score of >5 vs. ≤5). Further, the prevalence of antepartum depression and suicidal ideation were 10.3% and 8.5%, respectively in this cohort. After adjusting for confounders including depression, poor sleep quality was associated with a 2.81-fold increased odds of suicidal ideation (OR=2.81; 95% CI 1.78-4.45). When assessed as a continuous variable, each 1-unit increase in the global PSQI score resulted in a 28% increase in odds for suicidal ideation, even after adjusting for depression (OR=1.28; 95% CI 1.15-1.41). The odds of suicidal ideation was particularly high among depressed women with poor sleep quality (OR=13.56 95% CI 7.53-24.41) as compared with women without either risk factor. This cross-sectional study utilized self-reported data. Causality cannot be inferred, and results may not be fully generalizable. Poor sleep quality, even after adjusting for depression, is associated with antepartum suicidal ideation. Our findings support the need to explore sleep-focused interventions for pregnant women

Comparison of Bond Character in Hydrocarbons and Fullerenes

We present a comparison of the bond polarizabilities for carbon-carbon bonds in hydrocarbons and fullerenes, using two different models for the fullerene Raman spectrum and the results of Raman measurements on ethane and ethylene. We find that the polarizabilities for single bonds in fullerenes and hydrocarbons compare well, while the double bonds in fullerenes have greater polarizability than in ethylene.Comment: 7 pages, no figures, uses RevTeX. (To appear in Phys. Rev. B.

Suspended silicon integrated platform for the long-wavelength mid-infrared band

The atmospheric-transmission window and the fingerprint region of many substances overlaps with the long-wave infrared band. This has enabled the emergence of a new path for photonic integrated circuits, which could exploit the potential applications of this wavelength range, including chemical and bio sensing. In this work we review our latest advances in the suspended silicon platform with subwavelength grating lateral cladding at 7.7-µm wavelength. Suspended waveguides only require one lithographic etch step and can be specifically designed to maximize sensitivity when used as sensors. Waveguides with propagation loss of 3.1±0.3 dB/cm are demonstrated, as well as bends with less than 0.1 dB/bend. Suspended waveguides based on shifted Bragg grating lateral cladding are also reported, with propagation loss of 5.1±0.6 dB/cm. These results prepare the ground for the development of a platform capable of covering the entire mid-infrared band. Keywords: suspended silicon, mid-infrared, long-wave infrared, subwavelength grating, Bragg.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A proxy for carrying capacity of Mediterranean aquaculture

In developing a holistic and innovative approach to determining the carrying capacity in marine finfish aquaculture, we carried out a modified Delphi exercise in which we asked industry experts to identify the factors influencing the production levels of the activity under different scenarios. We disseminated and discussed three rounds of questionnaires in sectoral roundtables and workshops with experts, culminating in the development of a simple formula that adapts production levels to the physical, ecological, social and economic conditions of the activity on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. We used this formula to approach the carrying capacity of the system. Based on the developed model and its theoretical application, we estimated the carrying capacity for floating cages on the Spanish Mediterranean coast at 119,404 t—about 1.2 times the current production level of 96,440 t. We therefore concluded that, subject to the execution of an in-situ validation of the model, the production level of floating nurseries on the Spanish Mediterranean coast could be increased by up to 33.5%.KT-G was funded by a postdoctoral tenure program Juan de la Cierva Formación (FJCI-2014-20100) and Juan de la Cierva Incorporación (IJCI-2017-34174) funded by Spanish National Research Agency. This study was funded by the Projects “Environmental Innovation Measures for the Development and Establishment of Protocols for Carrying Capacity for Aquaculture Sustainability (MIMECCA)”; “Marine Aquaculture Carrying Capacity Applied Models (MACCAM)”; “GLObal change Resilience in Aquaculture-2 (GLORiA2),” supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Program and co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). It is also part of the LIFE IP INTEMARES Project “Integrated, innovative and participatory management of the Natura 2000 Network in the Spanish marine environment”. This study forms part of the ThinkInAzul programme and was supported by MCIN with funding from European Union NextGenerationEU (PRTR-C17·I1) and by Generalitat Valenciana (THINKINAZUL/2021/044-TOWARDS)

Recomendaciones para la informatización de los servicios de neonatología

El objetivo es proporcionar el marco para la recopilación de datos en el área de la salud de los recién nacidos que permitan la armonización de la asistencia sea cual sea su lugar de nacimiento. Para ello es necesario conocer la población atendida y la mayor dificultad es la ausencia de un sistema de recopilación de datos y de unos estándares asistenciales para todas las condiciones del recién nacido. Es imprescindible disponer de un registro único en el que se recojan los principales datos perinatales y neonatales de todos los recién nacidos. La Sociedad Española de Neonatología (SEN) debe ser el depositario y responsable de la base de datos, que debe cumplir todas las exigencias legales de privacidad y confidencialidad. A nivel de cada centro es posible conocer el peso relativo de la afección atendida por grupos de diagnósticos relacionados (DRG) y los resultados desde el aspecto de calidad asistencial. Mediante análisis comparativos (estudios de benchmarking,. . .) es posible establecer las pautas de diagnóstico y tratamiento. Es necesario conocer la población de recién nacidos atendida y definir criterios de diagnóstico y tratamiento para mejorar la calidad asistencial. La SEN desea dirigirse a los responsables asistenciales de los centros hospitalarios para pedirles su apoyo y colaboración en la puesta en marcha de estas recomendaciones