Coupling ANIMO and MT3DMS for 3D regional-scale modeling of nutrient transport in soil and groundwater

We developed an on-line coupling between the 1D/quasi-2D nutrient transport model ANIMO and the 3D groundwater transport model code MT3DMS. ANIMO is a detailed, process-oriented simulation model code for the simulation of nitrate leaching to groundwater, N- and P-loads on surface waters and emissions of greenhouse gasses. It is the leading nutrient fate and transport code in the Netherlands where it is used primarily for the evaluation of fertilization related legislation. In addition, the code is applied frequently in international research projects. MT3DMS is probably the most commonly used groundwater solute transport package worldwide. The on-line model coupling ANIMO-MT3DMS combines the state-of-the-art descriptions of the biogeochemical cycles in ANIMO with the advantages of using a 3D approach for the transport through the saturated domain. These advantages include accounting for regional lateral transport, considering groundwater-surface water interactions more explicitly, and the possibility of using MODFLOW to obtain the flow fields. An additional merit of the on-line coupling concept is that it preserves feedbacks between the saturated and unsaturated zone

Time-lapse cross-hole electrical resistivity tomography (CHERT) for monitoring seawater intrusion dynamics in a Mediterranean aquifer

Surface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is a widely used tool to study seawater intrusion (SWI). It is noninvasive and offers a high spatial coverage at a low cost, but its imaging capabilities are strongly affected by decreasing resolution with depth. We conjecture that the use of CHERT (cross-hole ERT) can partly overcome these resolution limitations since the electrodes are placed at depth, which implies that the model resolution does not decrease at the depths of interest. The objective of this study is to test the CHERT for imaging the SWI and monitoring its dynamics at the Argentona site, a well-instrumented field site of a coastal alluvial aquifer located 40¿km NE of Barcelona. To do so, we installed permanent electrodes around boreholes attached to the PVC pipes to perform time-lapse monitoring of the SWI on a transect perpendicular to the coastline. After 2 years of monitoring, we observe variability of SWI at different timescales: (1) natural seasonal variations and aquifer salinization that we attribute to long-term drought and (2) short-term fluctuations due to sea storms or flooding in the nearby stream during heavy rain events. The spatial imaging of bulk electrical conductivity allows us to explain non-monotonic salinity profiles in open boreholes (step-wise profiles really reflect the presence of freshwater at depth). By comparing CHERT results with traditional in situ measurements such as electrical conductivity of water samples and bulk electrical conductivity from induction logs, we conclude that CHERT is a reliable and cost-effective imaging tool for monitoring SWI dynamics.This work was funded by the project CGL2016-77122-C2-1-R/2-R of the Spanish Government. This project also received funding from the European Commission, Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Marie Sklodowska-Curie (grant no. 722028)). The author Albert Folch is a Serra Húnter Fellow.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Genomics of Serratia marcescens isolates causing outbreaks in the same pediatric unit 47 years apart: Position in an updated phylogeny of the species

The first documented nosocomial outbreak caused by Serratia marcescens in Spain occurred in 1969 at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the tertiary La Paz Children’s Hospital in Madrid, Spain, and based on the available phenotyping techniques at this time, it was considered as a monoclonal outbreak. Only 47 years later, another S. marcescens outbreak of an equivalent dimension occurred at the same NICU. The aim of the present study was to study isolates from these historical and contemporary outbreaks by phenotypic analysis and whole-genome sequencing techniques and to position these strains along with 444 publicly available S. marcescens genomes, separately comparing core genome and accessory genome contents. Clades inferred by both approaches showed high correlation, indicating that core and accessory genomes seem to evolve in the same manner for S. marcescens. Nine S. marcescens clusters were identified, and isolates were grouped in two of them according to sampling year. One exception was isolate 13F-69, the most genetically distant strain, located in a different cluster. Categorical functions in the annotated accessory genes of both collections were preserved among all isolates. No significant differences in frequency of insertion sequences in historical (0.18–0.20)—excluding the outlier strain—versus contemporary isolates (0.11–0.19) were found despite the expected resting effect. The most dissimilar isolate, 13F-69, contains a highly preserved plasmid previously described in Bordetella bronchiseptica. This strain exhibited a few antibiotic resistance genes not resulting in a resistant phenotype, suggesting the value of gene down expression in adaptation to long-term starvation.CS was supported by “Fundación Mutua Madrileña” grant to RC achieved in 2017 call with reference number AP165902017. MP-A was supported by the Programa Operativo de Empleo Juvenil, cofinanced by the European Social Fund Investing in your future (ESF) and ERDF (PEJD-2018-PRE/BMD-8237). BP-V was funded by H2020 FTIPilot 2016 project no. 730713 “FAST-bact “A novel fast and automated test for antibiotic susceptibility testing for Gram positive and negative bacteria” and co-funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, “A way to achieve Europe”). FB was supported by grants from the Madrid Regional Government (InGEMICS-C; S2017/BMD-3691) and CIBER (CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health, CIBERESP; CB06/02/0053), co-funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, “A way to achieve Europe”). This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, PI17/00115 (RC), and REIPI (RD16/0016/0011) actions, cofinanced by the European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe” (ERDF

European Journalism Observatory- a platform for training and professional networks in the Faculty of Information Sciences

The launching of a Spanish platform within the Observatory will serve as a training laboratory for undergraduate and graduate students of the Faculty of Information Sciences at the same time as for establishing a professional media network in and outside Spain. The European Journalism Observatory (EJO) is a network of 14 non-profit media research institutes in 11 countries where Spain continue to be the missing element. All researchers in the EJO network actively strive to transfer their knowledge to the media industry as well as interested publics outside the scientific community, as a platform to enable online availability of at least a portion of many publications in several languages

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369