Anàlisi territorial de la preinscripció al sistema universitari públic de Catalunya. L’efecte distància–temps des del domicili habitual en l’elecció de centre i estudi.

[cat] La mobilitat obligada per raó d'estudi analitza els desplaçaments dels alumnes entre el seu lloc de residencia i el lloc d'estudi en qualsevol de les etapes educatives, des dels ensenyaments primaris obligatoris fins als superiors. En aquest sentit, doncs, el fenomen de la mobilitat es consubstancial a la mateixa universitat ja des dels seus inicis esdevenint avui un fenomen complex fent-se necessari, per entendre'I en tota la seva magnitud, identificar-ne tant els diferents actors que hi intervenen com les diferents escales geogràfiques que abasta, el mare formal en el que es desenvolupa i la seva direccionalitat. En aquest context, l'objectiu principal que persegueix aquesta recerca es el d'esbrinar els criteris i patrons que determinen l'elecció de centre i estudi per part dels estudiants residents a Catalunya que accedeixen per primer cop a l'oferta de titulacions de les universitats catalanes que participen del procés de preinscripció (UB, UAB, UPC, UPF, Udl, UdG, URV i UVic) tot confeccionant un mapa de fluxos de la mobilitat d'aquest col·lectiu al llarg del per1ode que abasta del curs 2000-01 al 2013-14 per a, tal vegada, obtenir orientacions sobre el seu comportament futur. D'aquesta manera, emprant com a font principal de dades els fitxers del sistema UNEIX sobre els estudiants matriculats de nou accés en cadascuna d'aquestes universitats per a cada any acadèmic analitzat i a partir de la comarca d'origen d'aquest estudiantat (aquella on tenen establert el seu domicili habitual, generalment el familiar) s'han determinat en primer lloc l'àrea d'influència i de captació d'aquestes institucions per tal d'esbrinar quina es la seva presencia i pes específic en el territori i, en segon terme, s'han identificat tres dinàmiques de comportament dels estudiant a l'hora d'escollir centre i estudi segons sigui la distancia que separa aquest domicili de la ubicació de l'oferta universitària. Tot plegat, pretén resoldre el problema que planteja el desconeixement existent en l'actualitat de les relacions complexes que s'estableixen entre la selecció d'estudis universitaris i centre amb les xarxes de transport i la mobilitat induïda dels estudiants del sistema universitari de Catalunya.[eng] Mobility forced by study reasons analyses the students' travels between their place of residence and the study location in any of the formative stages: from mandatory elementary studies to higher education. In this sense, the mobility phenomenon is consubstantial to university itself from the very start, currently growing up to be a complex phenomenon. In order to be able to understand it to its fullest, it is then necessary to identify the various actors participating in it, the different geographical scales reached, as well as the formal framework in which it is carried out, and its directionality.In this contex the main objective of this research is to find out the criteria and patterns that prompt the choice of centre and studies by the students residing in Catalonia accessing for the very first time the degree's offer from the Catalan universities taking part of the pre­ registration process (UB, UAB, UPC, UPF, Udl , UdG, URV and UVic), by composing a flow map of this collective's mobility within the period covering the academic years 2000/01 to 2013/ 14, so as to perhaps obtain orientations on their future behaviour.In this way, and by using as a primary source the data from the UNEIX system files on freshman students, sorted by each of the aforementioned universities and academic year, and based on the county of origin of this student body (the one where their permanent address is estabilshed, generally this being the home address), the following has been determined: first, these institutions' influence and acquisition area in order to find out their actual presence and specific weight within the territory; and, second, three students' behaviour dynamics regarding their centre and studies choice, depending on the distance separating their place of residence and the location of the university offer.All of that hopes to solve the problem resulting from the currently existing ignorance on the complex relations established vis a vis the university studies and centre selection, and the transport network and induced mobility of the Catalan university system's students

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Tailoring the rheology and electrical properties of polyamide 66 nanocomposites with hybrid filler approach: graphene and carbon nanotubes

International audienceThe aim was to improve the processability and reduce the melt viscosity of well‐known nanocomposites based on polyamide 66 (PA66) and carbon nanotubes (CNT), while keeping the good electrical conductivity gained after the addition of CNT. Thus, a nanocomposite based on PA66 as the thermoplastic matrix and 3% of CNT was selected. At this composition, a percolated network is created and the material is electrically conductive. The approach followed was the addition of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) of two different lateral sizes to obtain a PA66 nanocomposite with hybrid filler: CNT/GNP. In addition, a third nanocomposite of PA66 with GNP only was prepared for comparison purposes. The rheological characterization determined that adding 1% of GNP of 2 μm particle size decreased the viscosity of the system by 87%. However, the electrical conductivity was diminished to some extent, from 10−5 to 10−9 S cm−1 approximately. The Cross rheology model described successfully the experimental rheological data. The CNT/GNP nanocomposite exhibited faster relaxations, almost four orders of magnitude, in comparison with the CNT nanocomposite but slower than the GNP nanocomposite. The nanoparticles improved the crystallization ability of PA66 acting as nucleating agents and increasing the PA66 crystallization temperature by almost 10 °C. Self‐nucleation experiments demonstrated a supernucleation feature of the hybrid filler. The nucleation efficiency was about 500%

Anti-spike protein to determine SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels: Is there a specific threshold conferring protection in immunocompromised patients?

BackgroundIdentifying a specific threshold level of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that confers protection in immunocompromised patients has been very challenging. The aim was to assess the threshold of 264 binding antibody units (BAU)/ml using four different SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays (Abbott, Beckman, Roche, and Siemens) and to establish a new optimal threshold of protection for each of the four antibody assays.MethodsThis study was performed on data retrieved from 69 individuals, who received at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax) at the Alphabio Laboratory in Marseille, France (European Hospital, Alphabio-Biogroup). The results were compared to the percent inhibition calculated using a functional surrogate of a standardized virus neutralization test (Genscript).ResultsSamples from 69 patients were analyzed. For a reference cutoff of 264 BAU/ml, assays showed moderate to good overall concordance with Genscript: 87% concordance for Abbott, 78% for Beckman, 75% for Roche, and 88% for Siemens. Overall concordance increased consistently after applying new thresholds, i.e., 148 BAU/ml (Abbott), 48 (Beckman), 559 (Roche), and 270 (Siemens).ConclusionWe suggest specific adjusted thresholds (BAU/ml) for the four commercial antibody assays that are used to assess pre-exposure prophylaxis in immunocompromised patients

S1 Data -

BackgroundIdentifying a specific threshold level of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that confers protection in immunocompromised patients has been very challenging. The aim was to assess the threshold of 264 binding antibody units (BAU)/ml using four different SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays (Abbott, Beckman, Roche, and Siemens) and to establish a new optimal threshold of protection for each of the four antibody assays.MethodsThis study was performed on data retrieved from 69 individuals, who received at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax) at the Alphabio Laboratory in Marseille, France (European Hospital, Alphabio–Biogroup). The results were compared to the percent inhibition calculated using a functional surrogate of a standardized virus neutralization test (Genscript).ResultsSamples from 69 patients were analyzed. For a reference cutoff of 264 BAU/ml, assays showed moderate to good overall concordance with Genscript: 87% concordance for Abbott, 78% for Beckman, 75% for Roche, and 88% for Siemens. Overall concordance increased consistently after applying new thresholds, i.e., 148 BAU/ml (Abbott), 48 (Beckman), 559 (Roche), and 270 (Siemens).ConclusionWe suggest specific adjusted thresholds (BAU/ml) for the four commercial antibody assays that are used to assess pre-exposure prophylaxis in immunocompromised patients.</div

Agreement between antibody binding assays and Genscript sVNT positive and negative results according to the reference cutoff (264 BAU/ml).

Agreement between antibody binding assays and Genscript sVNT positive and negative results according to the reference cutoff (264 BAU/ml).</p

ROC curves for each antibody binding assay according to Genscript sVNT.

ROC curves for each antibody binding assay according to Genscript sVNT.</p

Baseline characteristics.

BackgroundIdentifying a specific threshold level of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that confers protection in immunocompromised patients has been very challenging. The aim was to assess the threshold of 264 binding antibody units (BAU)/ml using four different SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays (Abbott, Beckman, Roche, and Siemens) and to establish a new optimal threshold of protection for each of the four antibody assays.MethodsThis study was performed on data retrieved from 69 individuals, who received at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax) at the Alphabio Laboratory in Marseille, France (European Hospital, Alphabio–Biogroup). The results were compared to the percent inhibition calculated using a functional surrogate of a standardized virus neutralization test (Genscript).ResultsSamples from 69 patients were analyzed. For a reference cutoff of 264 BAU/ml, assays showed moderate to good overall concordance with Genscript: 87% concordance for Abbott, 78% for Beckman, 75% for Roche, and 88% for Siemens. Overall concordance increased consistently after applying new thresholds, i.e., 148 BAU/ml (Abbott), 48 (Beckman), 559 (Roche), and 270 (Siemens).ConclusionWe suggest specific adjusted thresholds (BAU/ml) for the four commercial antibody assays that are used to assess pre-exposure prophylaxis in immunocompromised patients.</div

Boxplots for each antibody binding assay according to Genscript sVNT positive and negative results.

Solid reference line represents 264 binding antibody units (BAU)/ml cutoff (2.4 Log). The Wilcoxon test for pairwise comparisons yielded P < 0.0001 for all comparisons.</p