Evaluation of X-Ray Computed Tomography in an Erodible Soil Reinforced with Babassu Coconut Fibers and Construction Waste

To guarantee the maintenance of the environment, the civil construction sector has expanded its search for materials from renewable sources and, therefore, composite materials are being produced from the reuse of natural fibers and construction waste. This study analyzes the physical and mechanical behaviors of an erodible hillside soil reinforced with natural babassu coconut fibers and civil construction waste (CCW), class A. As methodological procedures, the Unidimensional Densification laboratory test was carried out for the soil, CCW, and composites, observing the void index versus log curves of the effective tension, the porosity content, and the compression index. The X-Ray Computed Tomography non-destructive test was also performed for comparative purposes of the porosity result. The results showed that the use of CCW and babassu coconut fibers in the reinforcement reduces voids present in the soil. This reduction points to better soil function in the face of erosion caused by the action of water. The composite with 50% soil + 49.5% residue + 0.5% fiber was the one with the lowest voids index, guaranteeing a 21% reduction in porosity. It was possible to verify that the tomography test provides results compatible with the one-dimensional densification test, regarding the determination of porosity, with variations of ± 3%

Influence of constructive profiles on the generation of construction waste in construction in the Northeast

The construction sector is one of the main modifiers of the environment, since in its activities there is, essentially, the exploitation of natural resources, generating a large amount of waste. The objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of management parameters (term, contracting and costs) and constructive parameters (building standard, type of foundation and type of masonry) in the generation of construction waste. The methodology consisted of the following steps: definition of the parameters to be analyzed for the generation of waste in 15 works; data collection and processing and, finally, data dispersion analysis through the boxplot. The class was predominant A waste, 89.2% of the total generated; among class B waste, gypsum is more prominent, with 55% of the waste generated; in class C the mixed materials are predominant, with 64%. Regarding the analyzed parameters, the ones that contributed the most to the generation of civil construction waste (CCW) were: high work pattern (48%); incorporation hiring regime (58%); intermediate execution time between 36 and 45 months (49%); the foundation of the shoe type (36%); sealing masonry with ceramic blocks in the peripheries and gypsum blocks internally (58%)

Landscape Transformation: Temporal Evolution of the Erosion Process on a Hillside on the Island of Itamaracá / Brazil

Urban planning is important to guarantee the quality of life for society, as it proposes spatial planning and problem solving, especially those related to land use. Thus, it was proposed to perform an evaluation of actions that promote and/or accelerate the erosive processes on a hillside located in island of Itamaracá/BR. The “interaction networks” and “land use maps” techniques were used in combination, which resulted in a more accurate environmental assessment, as well as the use of models for future estimates. The results pointed to mediumrisk for the environmental indicators of “occupation types” and evidence of collapse”, and high risk for“urban density”and“vegetation”indicators. It has also been predicted that over the years, the urban sprawl in the area will continue to grow until it reaches stability due to the total occupation of useful areas as well as that the growth rate for vegetation will be negative. Thus, there is a need to mitigate environmental damage in the short term, in order to avoid the occurrence of accidents in the hillside area

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Urbanização desordenada e degradação ambiental associados a escorregamentos: uma abordagem metodológica para análise temporal de ocupações subnormais

The evolutionary dynamics of urban centers is conditioned by several economic and socio-environmental factors. When these factors interrelate unevenly, which is often motivated by interference from competent public agencies, give rise to urban and social problems such as irregular occupations, generating high environmental risks. The objective of this study was to identify the environmental risks levels that affect a set of slopes of the municipality of Olinda / PE, through a methodological approach centered on temporal analyzes of land occupation. The research was developed with vectorization of images and orthophotocards from 1974 to 2018 and qualitative analysis of risk levels through a cause and consequence matrix. Vectorization demonstrated critical results of plant suppression and urban spot growth, with about -63.59% and + 890%, respectively. The resulting matrix showed a high negative balance for environmental risk levels. Thus, the study demonstrates that the anthropogenic interference that shaped the region conditions a series of social and environmental impacts and that the planning and diagnosis of risk levels is an essential planning tool for intervention in these locations.A dinâmica evolutiva dos centros urbanos é condicionada por vários fatores de cunhos econômico e socioambiental. Quando esses fatores se inter-relacionam de forma desbalanceada, que muitas vezes é motivado pela própria ingerência dos órgãos públicos competentes, dá-se origem a problemas de ordem urbanística e social como as ocupações irregulares, gerando elevados riscos ambientais. O objetivo desse estudo foi identificar os níveis de risco ambiental, através de uma abordagem metodológica centrada em análises temporais de ocupação do solo, que acometem um conjunto de encostas do município de Olinda/PE. A pesquisa se desenvolveu com a vetorização de imagens e ortofotocartas de 1974 a 2018 e análise qualitativa dos níveis de risco por meio de uma matriz de causa e consequência. A vetorização demonstrou resultados críticos de supressão vegetal e crescimento da mancha urbana, com cerca de -63,59% e +890%, respectivamente. A matriz resultante apresentou saldo negativo elevado para os níveis de risco ambiental. Logo, o estudo demonstra que as interferências antrópicas que moldaram a região condicionam uma série de impactos socioambientais e que o planejamento e diagnóstico dos níveis de risco é um instrumento de planejamento essencial para intervenção nessas localidades

Riscos ambientais associados à urbanização: análise temporal de ocupações desordenadas em uma encosta do município do Recife

O objetivo deste estudo é verificar a evolução das ocupações irregulares e o risco ambiental em uma área de encosta no município de Recife/PE. Foram realizados registros de imagens, vetorização e ortofotocartas do local, e, com o uso do programa Qgis, foi feita a análise do nível de risco com uma matriz de causa e consequência. Houve uma evolução da mancha urbana no local, com crescimento de 1.119% nos 42 anos que compõe o recorte da análise, uma redução de 68,54% na vegetação nativa, que pode provocar deslizamento de terras e uma variação do nível de base de 35 metros para 55 metros, apresentando um forte indício de deslizamentos passados.  Diante do exposto, a necessidade de ações estruturais de redução de riscos para a localidade foi verificada.</p

Riscos ambientais associados à urbanização: análise temporal de ocupações desordenadas em uma encosta do município do Recife

O objetivo deste estudo é verificar a evolução das ocupações irregulares e o risco ambiental em uma área de encosta no município de Recife/PE. Foram realizados registros de imagens, vetorização e ortofotocartas do local, e, com o uso do programa Qgis, foi feita a análise do nível de risco com uma matriz de causa e consequência. Houve uma evolução da mancha urbana no local, com crescimento de 1.119% nos 42 anos que compõe o recorte da análise, uma redução de 68,54% na vegetação nativa, que pode provocar deslizamento de terras e uma variação do nível de base de 35 metros para 55 metros, apresentando um forte indício de deslizamentos passados.  Diante do exposto, a necessidade de ações estruturais de redução de riscos para a localidade foi verificada

Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, ventilation management, and outcomes in invasively ventilated intensive care unit patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome: a pooled analysis of four observational studies

Background: Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, the practice of ventilation, and outcome in invasively ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain unexplored. In this analysis we aim to address these gaps using individual patient data of four large observational studies. Methods: In this pooled analysis we harmonised individual patient data from the ERICC, LUNG SAFE, PRoVENT, and PRoVENT-iMiC prospective observational studies, which were conducted from June, 2011, to December, 2018, in 534 ICUs in 54 countries. We used the 2016 World Bank classification to define two geoeconomic regions: middle-income countries (MICs) and high-income countries (HICs). ARDS was defined according to the Berlin criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patients in MICs versus HICs. The primary outcome was the use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) for the first 3 days of mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes were key ventilation parameters (tidal volume size, positive end-expiratory pressure, fraction of inspired oxygen, peak pressure, plateau pressure, driving pressure, and respiratory rate), patient characteristics, the risk for and actual development of acute respiratory distress syndrome after the first day of ventilation, duration of ventilation, ICU length of stay, and ICU mortality. Findings: Of the 7608 patients included in the original studies, this analysis included 3852 patients without ARDS, of whom 2345 were from MICs and 1507 were from HICs. Patients in MICs were younger, shorter and with a slightly lower body-mass index, more often had diabetes and active cancer, but less often chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure than patients from HICs. Sequential organ failure assessment scores were similar in MICs and HICs. Use of LTVV in MICs and HICs was comparable (42·4% vs 44·2%; absolute difference -1·69 [-9·58 to 6·11] p=0·67; data available in 3174 [82%] of 3852 patients). The median applied positive end expiratory pressure was lower in MICs than in HICs (5 [IQR 5-8] vs 6 [5-8] cm H2O; p=0·0011). ICU mortality was higher in MICs than in HICs (30·5% vs 19·9%; p=0·0004; adjusted effect 16·41% [95% CI 9·52-23·52]; p&lt;0·0001) and was inversely associated with gross domestic product (adjusted odds ratio for a US$10 000 increase per capita 0·80 [95% CI 0·75-0·86]; p&lt;0·0001). Interpretation: Despite similar disease severity and ventilation management, ICU mortality in patients without ARDS is higher in MICs than in HICs, with a strong association with country-level economic status

Two-particle Bose-Einstein correlations and their Lévy parameters in PbPb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 5.02 TeV

Two-particle Bose-Einstein momentum correlation functions are studied for charged-hadron pairs in lead-lead collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The data sample, containing 4.27$\times10^{9}$ minimum bias events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.607 nb$^{-1}$, was collected by the CMS experiment in 2018. The experimental results are discussed in terms of a L\'evy-type source distribution. The parameters of this distribution are extracted as functions of particle pair average transverse mass and collision centrality. These parameters include the L\'evy index or shape parameter ($\alpha$), the L\'evy scale parameter ($R$), and the correlation strength parameter ($\lambda$). The source shape, characterized by $\alpha$, is found to be neither Cauchy nor Gaussian, implying the need for a full L\'evy analysis. Similarly to what was previously found for systems characterized by Gaussian source radii, a hydrodynamical scaling is observed for the L\'evy $R$ parameter. The $\lambda$ parameter is studied in terms of the core-halo model.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review C. All figures and tables can be found at http://cms-results.web.cern.ch/cms-results/public-results/publications/HIN-21-011 (CMS Public Pages