Nonlinear orthotropic model of the inhomogeneous assembly compression of PEM fuel cell gas diffusion layers

PEM fuel cell assembly pressure is known to cause large strains in the gas diffusion layer (GDL), which results in significant changes in its mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. These changes affect the rates of mass, charge, and heat transport through the GDL, thus impacting fuel cell performance and lifetime. The appropriate modeling of the inhomogeneous GDL compression process associated with the repetitive channel rib pattern is therefore essential for a detailed description of the physical chemical processes that take place in the cell. In this context, the mechanical characterization of the GDL is of special relevance, since its microstructure based on carbon fibers has strongly nonlinear orthotropic properties. The present study describes a new finite element model which fully incorporates the nonlinear orthotropic characteristics of the GDL, thereby improving the prediction of the inhomogeneous compression effects in this key element of the cell. Among other conclusions, the numerical results show that the linear isotropic models widely reported in the literature tend to overestimate the porosity and the partial intrusion of the GDL in the channel region, and may lead to incorrect predictions in terms of interfacial contact pressure distributions.This work was supported by Project ENE2008 06683 C03 02 of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (GS1).Publicad

Dibujando sonrisas & encías sanas III : Autocuidado de las encías y salud periodontal

Constituye un reto modificar hábitos y conductas perjudiciales para la salud bucal de los adolescentes a través de programas educativos, por tal motivo, es importante generar y aplicar actividades de extensión que traten esta problemática. Objetivo: Elaborar un programa educativo para la prevención de la enfermedad periodontal en adolescentes.Facultad de Odontologí

Repli-Fósil-3D: Aplicación técnicas de replicación 3D para la mejora de las colecciones utilizadas en la docencia práctica del área de Paleontología

En este proyecto se ha pretendido perfeccionar la docencia práctica de las asignaturas del ámbito de la Paleontología y de las actividades divulgativas impartidas por el departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, y por lo tanto mejorar el grado de aprendizaje del alumnado, mediante el uso de modelos y réplicas impresas en 3D de diferentes grupos fósiles que, por diversos motivos (escasez de muestras en nuestros laboratorios, tamaño o fragilidad), no pueden ser correctamente observados y/o manipulados por el alumnado. Esto ha permitido al profesorado del área de Paleontología adaptar las prácticas docentes y actividades divulgativas a los requerimientos de la sociedad y universidad actuales.The aim of this project has been to improve the practical teaching of subjects in the field of Paleontology and in other dissemination activities carried out by the Department of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, in order to enhance the student learning. To do so, this project printed 3D models and replicas of different fossil groups which, for various reasons (scarcity of samples in our laboratories, size or fragility), cannot be correctly observed and/or manipulated by students. This has allowed the teaching staff of the Paleontology area to adapt their teaching practices and dissemination activities to the requirements of today's society and university

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Groups

Background: Canagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, but effects on specific cardiovascular outcomes are uncertain, as are effects in people without previous cardiovascular disease (primary prevention). Methods: In CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation), 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease were randomly assigned to canagliflozin or placebo on a background of optimized standard of care. Results: Primary prevention participants (n=2181, 49.6%) were younger (61 versus 65 years), were more often female (37% versus 31%), and had shorter duration of diabetes mellitus (15 years versus 16 years) compared with secondary prevention participants (n=2220, 50.4%). Canagliflozin reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events overall (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.67-0.95]; P=0.01), with consistent reductions in both the primary (HR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.49-0.94]) and secondary (HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.69-1.06]) prevention groups (P for interaction=0.25). Effects were also similar for the components of the composite including cardiovascular death (HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.61-1.00]), nonfatal myocardial infarction (HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.59-1.10]), and nonfatal stroke (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.56-1.15]). The risk of the primary composite renal outcome and the composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure were also consistently reduced in both the primary and secondary prevention groups (P for interaction >0.5 for each outcome). Conclusions: Canagliflozin significantly reduced major cardiovascular events and kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, including in participants who did not have previous cardiovascular disease

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Palynological analysis of the MIS 11 interglacial from a sediment succession from Fucino basin, Italy

There are large gaps in our understanding of how the global water cycle and ecosystems will respond to future global warming. The study of sedimentary records can give us insight into climatic patterns in the past, how ecosystems adapted to warmer temperature conditions, and could serve as analogues for future global warming. The Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11c (ca. 426-396 ka) arises as one of the anomalously long and warm interglacials of the past 800 ka, with a global temperature ca. 0.5-0.7 ºC higher and a relative sea level of ca. 6-13 m higher than the pre-industrial Holocene, respectively. The Fucino Basin (Central Italy) contains a continuous lacustrine succession for the last 430 ka including MIS 11, dated by tephrochronology. Paleopalynology can be very useful as an environmental and paleoclimatic tool, through observing the changes in vegetation caused by temperature and precipitation changes. In this study, we present the preliminary results of the pollen analyses of the Fucino sedimentary succession between MIS 11c and the glacial termination V (glacial-interglacial transition between MIS 12 and MIS 11) to reconstruct the environmental change during this period. Our results show that an increase in humidity at the start of the MIS 11c interglacial the Fucino Basin, which is indicated by the exponential growth of the Abies population. Also, the generally warm interglacial was characterized by millennial-scale climate variability with several periods when the temperature decreased and the aridity increased, as testified by the Abies population decreasing and the Poaceae, Artemisia, Amaranthaceae, Hippophae, Ephedra and Pinus association increasing. The Fucino Basin lacustrine pollen record can provide us with a very accurate vision of the response of the vegetation during a period warmer than pre-industrial Holocene, thus arising as a potential reference fossil scenario that allows us evaluating the potential ecosystem impact of the current anthropogenic global warming

Alicante, "City of the Real Estate"

Este artículo es una visión crítica de los efectos cuantitativos y cualitativos que la Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Urbanística de la Comunidad Valenciana ha generado sobre la producción de suelo edificable en la ciudad de Alicante. Los autores analizan el modelo urbano emergente tanto en la escala territorial como a través del diseño de los nuevos sectores residenciales.The paper offers a critical perspective both as to quantity and quality on the effects as to building ground availability in Alicante of the Valencian Autonomous Regional Law governing Town and Country Planning Activities. The authors then analyze the type of city being thrown up as a consequence of this legislation, doing so in terms of its territorial scale and of the design pattern of its new housing

Design of a test bench for power testing and simulation in karting engines on a professional competitive level

El proyecto comprende el diseño de un banco de pruebas para motores de karting profesional que pueda ser utilizado para diferentes tipos de motores, el diseño comprenderá el desarrollo de los principales componentes instalados en el banco como: los equipos de medición, sistema de refrigeración del motor, panel de control, simulador de carga, entre otros. Se realizará un estudio para analizar qué mecanismos de simulación de carga ofrecen una aproximación más precisa a las condiciones reales a las que se expone el motor. Teniendo en cuenta el panel de control durante el desarrollo del proyecto se considerará la instalación de instrumentos de indicación de diferentes variables tales como torque, temperatura, revoluciones, flujo de combustible, entre otras. Cada uno de los componentes que serán diseñados tendrán planos de despiece y ensamble elaborados en un programa de dibujo como SolidWorks, estos planos tendrán la información necesaria para la construcción y el ensamble del banco: dimensiones, tolerancias y materiales de fabricación. Se busca que el banco sea capaz de medir todas las variables necesarias para evaluar el funcionamiento del motor de una manera precisa, tratando de tener en cuenta cada variable a la que se encuentra sometido en una carrera profesional, que sea capaz de someter el motor a diferentes cargas que pueden ser omitidas por otras pruebas y que en competencias profesionales pueden ayudar a tener un mejor funcionamiento del motor.In the present project a design of a professional karting engine test stand with the faculty of allowing different karting engines brands will be developed. This design will take in account the main components of a test bench like: measurement equipment, engine refrigeration system, control panel, and others. All these systems shall be designed within the regulations, manuals, and normative provided by authority entities and engine manufacturers, to ensure the correct and safe functioning of the power unit in the performed test. A kinetic study will be carry out to analyze which load simulation mechanism offer a more precise approximation according to the real working conditions of the engine. Measurement instrumentation such as torque transducers, temperature sensors, rpm’s tachometer, gas flow and air/gas ratio sensors will have to be selected in order to control engine operation regimen and given load, and automatizing the process as well, looking for repeatable results. Each of the different designed components will be accompanied of assembly plans and exploded views elaborated in CAD software such as SolidWorks, these are the carriers of all the whole necessary information for the construction and assembly of the test stand: dimensions, tolerances, and manufacturing materials. The purpose is that the test bench may be capable of measuring all the necessary parameters to precisely evaluate the engine performance, getting as close as possible to the real conditions in which the engine is exposed during a race, helping to set the power unit up for professional competition