Evaluación de las vibraciones del suelo causadas por trenes subterráneos usando elementos finitos

En este trabajo se presenta un análisis numérico de las vibraciones inducidas por la propagación de ondas originadas por el paso de trenes a través de túneles subterráneos. La metodología desarrollada es útil para realizar el análisis de vibraciones requerido por agencias reguladoras cuando los resultados de investigaciones preliminares indican que se van a exceder los umbrales seguros de vibración. Se estudiaron los niveles de vibraciones en los túneles del proyecto del Tren Urbano, que se está construyendo en San Juan, Puerto Rico. Se estudiaron secciones típicas de cada una de las tres clases de túneles que se usaron en el proyecto. El método de elementos finitos se utilizó para discretizar la geometría de los modelos y para calcular los desplazamientos, las velocidades y los esfuerzos inducidos por la propagación de ondas. El programa de elementos finitos ALGOR se utilizó para modelar el suelo, los diversos túneles y las estructuras en la superficie. Los resultados de la simulación numérica se compararon con mediciones en el campo efectuadas antes del inicio del proyecto Tren Urbano por la compañía consultora Harris Miller Miller & Hanson, Inc. Se encontró que los resultados de ambos procedimientos comparan favorablemente

The use of artificial intelligence and automatic remote monitoring for mosquito surveillance

Mosquito surveillance consists in the routine monitoring of mosquito populations: to determine the presence/absence of certain mosquito species; to identify changes in the abundance and/or composition of mosquito populations; to detect the presence of invasive species; to screen for mosquito-borne pathogens; and, finally, to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures. This kind of surveillance is typically performed by means of traps, which are regularly collected and manually inspected by expert entomologists for the taxonomical identification of the samples. The main problems with traditional surveillance systems are the cost in terms of time and human resources and the lag that is created between the time the trap is placed and collected. This lag can be crucial for the accurate time monitoring of mosquito population dynamics in the field, which is determinant for the precise design and implementation of risk assessment programs. New perspectives in this field include the use of smart traps and remote monitoring systems, which generate data completely interoperable and thus available for the automatic running of prediction models; the performance of risk assessments; the issuing of warnings; and the undertaking of historical analyses of infested areas. In this way, entomological surveillance could be done automatically with unprecedented accuracy and responsiveness, overcoming the problem of manual inspection labour costs. As a result, disease vector species could be detected earlier and with greater precision, enabling an improved control of outbreaks and a greater protection from diseases, thereby saving lives and millions of Euros in health costs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ordenamiento de Montalvo

Sign.:a-z8, [et]10.Consta en h. iiii: Compuso este licro de leyes Alfonso Diaz de Montalvo.Texto a dos col. con notas marginales.Letra gót., 3 tam., 47 lín.Pie de imprenta tomado del colofón.Esc. xil. de los RRCC en port.Copia digital : Junta de Castilla y León. Consejería de Cultura y Turismo, 201

Effectiveness of the Modification of Sewers to Reduce the Reproduction of Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus in Barcelona, Spain

Altres ajuts: Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).Mosquitoes breeding in urban sewage infrastructure are both a source of nuisance to the local population and a public health risk, given that biting mosquitoes can transmit pathogenic organisms to humans. The increasing presence of the invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus in European cities has further exacerbated the problems already caused by native Culex pipiens. We tested the effectiveness of modifications to sewage structures as an alternative to the use of biocides to prevent mosquito breeding. The placing of a layer of concrete at the bottom of sand sewers to prevent water accumulation completely eliminated mosquito reproduction, and so eliminates the need for biocides in modified structures. Sewer modification is thus a valid low-cost alternative for mosquito control

First records of Culex laticinctus Edwards, 1913 (Diptera: Culicidae) for Catalonia

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of invasive and native mosquitoes in a large Mediterranean city

Mosquitoes, including invasive species like the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, alongside native species Culex pipiens s.l., pose a significant nuisance to humans and serve as vectors for mosquito-borne diseases in urban areas. Under- standing the impact of water infrastructure characteristics, climatic conditions, and management strategies on mosquito oc- currence and effectiveness of control measures to assess their implications on mosquito occurrence is crucial for effective vector control. In this study, we examined data collected during the local vector control program in Barcelona, Spain, focusing on 234,225 visits to 31,334 different sewers, as well as 1817 visits to 152 fountains between 2015 and 2019. We investigated both the colonization and recolonization processes of mosquito larvae within these water infrastructures. Our findings re- vealed higher larval presence in sandbox-sewers compared to siphonic or direct sewers, and the presence of vegetation and the use of naturalized water positively influenced larval occurrence in fountains. The application of larvicidal treatment significantly reduced larvae presence; however, recolonization rates were negatively affected by the time elapsed since treat- ment. Climatic conditions played a critical role in the colonization and recolonization of sewers and urban fountains, with mosquito occurrence exhibiting non-linear patterns and, generally, increasing at intermediate temperatures and accumulated rainfall levels. This study emphasizes the importance of considering sewers and fountains characteristics and climatic condi- tions when implementing vector control programs to optimize resources and effectively reduce mosquito populations

Usefulness of Eurasian Magpies (Pica pica) for West Nile virus Surveillance in Non-Endemic and Endemic Situations

Finançament: Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d'Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació (DARP); Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA).In September 2017, passive surveillance allowed the detection of West Nile virus (WNV) lineage 2 for the first time in northern Spain in a northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). However, a cross sectional study carried out in Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) in a nearby area evidenced that WNV had been circulating two months earlier. Therefore, active surveillance in Eurasian magpies proved its effectiveness for the early detection of WNV in a non-endemic area. Further surveys in 2018 and the beginning of 2019 using young magpies (i.e., born after 2017) showed the repeated circulation of WNV in the same region in the following transmission season. Therefore, active surveillance in Eurasian magpies as well proved to be useful for the detection of WNV circulation in areas that may be considered as endemic. In this manuscript we present the results of those studies and discuss reasons that make the Eurasian magpies an ideal species for the surveillance of WNV, both in endemic and non-endemic areas

Cooperative and anticooperative effects in resonance assisted hydrogen bonds in merged structures of malondialdehyde

We analyzed non-additive effects in resonance assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHBs) in different b-enolones, which are archetypal compounds of these types of interactions. For this purpose, we used (i) potential energy curves to compute the formation energy, DERAHB form , of the RAHBs of interest in different circumstances along with (ii) tools offered by quantum chemical topology, namely, the Quantum Theory of Atoms In Molecules (QTAIM) and the Interacting Quantum Atoms (IQA) electronic energy partition. We established the effect that a given H-bond exerts over DERAHB form associated with another RAHB, determining in this way the cooperativity or the anticooperativity of these interactions. The mesomeric structures and the QTAIM delocalisation indices are consistent with the determined cooperative or anticooperative character of two given RAHBs. The HB cooperativity and anticooperativity studied herein are directly reflected in the IQA interaction energy EOH int , but they are modulated by the surrounding hydrocarbon chain. The IQA decomposition of DEcoop, a measure of the cooperativity between a pair of interacting RAHBs, indicates that the analyzed H-bond cooperative/anticooperative effects are associated with greater/smaller (i) strengthening of the pseudo-bicyclic structure of the compounds of interest and (ii) electron localisations with its corresponding changes in the intra and intermolecular exchange–correlation contributions to DERAHB form . Overall, we expect that this investigation will provide valuable insights into the interplay among hydrogen bonded atoms and the p system in RAHBs contributing in this way to the understanding of the general features of H-bonds.