Mejora de la eficiencia energética de las redes de vapor de agua utilizadas para la cocción de los piensos a peletizar en la industria agroalimentaria

Treball de Fi de Màster Universitari en Eficiència Energètica i Sostenibilitat (Pla de 2018). Codi: SJF019. Curs: 2020/2021El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad el diseño de un sistema de regulación automático de la presión de la línea de vapor de agua que se inyecta en el proceso de fabricación de los piensos compuestos para la granulación de estos. Con este objetivo se busca reducir el consumo de combustible en la caldera para la producción de vapor de agua y mejorar por tanto la eficiencia energética de la planta de proceso al reducir el consumo energético de la misma. Para ello se deben determinar los siguientes objetivos específicos: • Conocer en detalle las etapas del proceso de fabricación de piensos compuestos para alimentación animal en ganadería intensiva. • Determinar los puntos críticos del proceso donde se produzca el mayor gasto energético y estudiar la forma de reducir el consumo de esa energía mediante el control de las variables que afectan a dicho gasto energético. • Diseñar la solución de ingeniería de proceso que permita modificar las condiciones fisicoquímicas del producto final (pienso) de forma que se reduzcan los costes operativos y se mejore la eficiencia energética del proceso. • Calcular los ahorros operativos y las reducciones energéticas de consumo y de emisiones a la atmósfera que se consiguen con esta mejora en el proceso y analizar la viabilidad económica que justifique la inversión en la planta en un período razonable de tiempo. • Mejora de la eficiencia energética en la red de vapor puesto que con esta solución se elimina casi todo el condensado en la entrada del acondicionador, alcanzando por consiguiente mayor temperatura en la cocción de la mezcla de pienso y aportando una humedad adicional al pienso. • Mejora de la huella de carbono de la instalación pues al aumentar la eficiencia energética de la misma, se reduce el consumo de combustible y de energía y las emisiones de CO2 a la atmósfera son menores. • Mejora en costes de fabricación, pues el pienso compuesto, al haber sido cocido a mayor temperatura (+8 / +12ºC) tiene mayor almidón gelatinizado y mayor valor proteico, lo que implica que los animales engordan más con menor ingesta de alimento, redundando en un ahorro de costes de materia prima considerable para las granjas

Recensiones [Revista de Historia Económica Año XIV Primavera-Verano 1996 n. 2 pp. 477-528]

Editada en la Fundación Empresa PúblicaBeatriz Cárceles de Gea. Fraude y administración fiscal en Castilla La Comisión de Millones (1632-1658): Poder fiscal y privilegio jurídico-político (Por Juan Zafra Oteyza).-- Enric Tello. Cervera i la Segarra al segle XVIII. En els origens d`una Catalunya pobra, 1700-1860 (Por Tomás Peris Albentosa).-- Ángela Atienza. Propiedad y Señorío en Aragón. El clero regular entre la expansión y la crisis (1700-1835) (Por José Manuel Latorre Ciria).-- Michel Zylberberg. Une si duouce domination. Les milieux d'affaires français et l`Espagne vers 1780-1808 (Por Joan Caries Maixé Altes).-- Paloma Pastor Rey de Viñas. Historia de la Fábrica de Cristales de San Ildefonso durante la época de la Ilustración (1727-1810) (Por Juan Helguera Quijada).-- Ricardo Robledo Hernández. Economistas y reformadores españoles: La cuestión agraria (1760-1935) (Por Juan Antonio Carmona Pidal).-- Juan Pan Montojo. La bodega del mundo (1800-1936) (Por José Pujol Andréu).-- Moisés Llordén Miñambres. Desarrollo económico y urbano de Gijón en los siglos XIX y XX (Por Carlos Larrinaga Rodríguez).-- Manuel Montero. La California del hierro. Las minas y la modernización económica y social de Vizcaya (Por Antonio Escudero).-- Salvador Cruz Artacho. Caciques y campesinos. Poder político, modernización agraria y conflictividad rural en Granada. 1890-1923 (Por Luis Garrido González).-- Miguel Muñoz Rubio. Renfe (1941-1991). Medio siglo de ferrocarril público (Por Francisco Javier Vidal Olivares).-- Eric Hobsbawn. Historia del siglo XX. 1914-1991 (Por Gabriel Tortella).-- Marjorie Grice-Hutchinson. Ensayos sobre el pensamiento económico en España (Por José Luis García Ruiz).-- Richard N. Langlois y Paul L. Robertson. Firms, Markets and Economic Change. A Dynamic Theory of Business Institutions (Por Jesús M. Valdaliso).-- John Komlos (ed.). Stature, Living Standards, and Economic Development: Essays in Anthropometric History, y John Komlos (ed.). The Biological Standard of Living on Three Continents: Further Explorations in Anthropometric History (Por James Simpson)Publicad

Cardiovascular events in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: a nationwide study in Spain from the RELESSER Registry

This article estimates the frequency of cardiovascular (CV) events that occurred after diagnosis in a large Spanish cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and investigates the main risk factors for atherosclerosis. RELESSER is a nationwide multicenter, hospital-based registry of SLE patients. This is a cross-sectional study. Demographic and clinical variables, the presence of traditional risk factors, and CV events were collected. A CV event was defined as a myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, and/or peripheral artery disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the possible risk factors for atherosclerosis. From 2011 to 2012, 3658 SLE patients were enrolled. Of these, 374 (10.9%) patients suffered at least a CV event. In 269 (7.4%) patients, the CV events occurred after SLE diagnosis (86.2% women, median [interquartile range] age 54.9 years [43.2-66.1], and SLE duration of 212.0 months [120.8-289.0]). Strokes (5.7%) were the most frequent CV event, followed by ischemic heart disease (3.8%) and peripheral artery disease (2.2%). Multivariate analysis identified age (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.03 [1.02-1.04]), hypertension (1.71 [1.20-2.44]), smoking (1.48 [1.06-2.07]), diabetes (2.2 [1.32-3.74]), dyslipidemia (2.18 [1.54-3.09]), neurolupus (2.42 [1.56-3.75]), valvulopathy (2.44 [1.34-4.26]), serositis (1.54 [1.09-2.18]), antiphospholipid antibodies (1.57 [1.13-2.17]), low complement (1.81 [1.12-2.93]), and azathioprine (1.47 [1.04-2.07]) as risk factors for CV events. We have confirmed that SLE patients suffer a high prevalence of premature CV disease. Both traditional and nontraditional risk factors contribute to this higher prevalence. Although it needs to be verified with future studies, our study also shows-for the first time-an association between diabetes and CV events in SLE patients

Hydroxychloroquine is associated with a lower risk of polyautoimmunity: data from the RELESSER Registry

Objectives. This article estimates the frequency of polyautoimmunity and associated factors in a large retrospective cohort of patients with SLE. Methods. RELESSER (Spanish Society of Rheumatology Lupus Registry) is a nationwide multicentre, hospital-based registry of SLE patients. This is a cross-sectional study. The main variable was polyautoimmunity, which was defined as the co-occurrence of SLE and another autoimmune disease, such as autoimmune thyroiditis, RA, scleroderma, inflammatory myopathy and MCTD. We also recorded the presence of multiple autoimmune syndrome, secondary SS, secondary APS and a family history of autoimmune disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate possible risk factors for polyautoimmunity. Results. Of the 3679 patients who fulfilled the criteria for SLE, 502 (13.6%) had polyautoimmunity. The most frequent types were autoimmune thyroiditis (7.9%), other systemic autoimmune diseases (6.2%), secondary SS (14.1%) and secondary APS (13.7%). Multiple autoimmune syndrome accounted for 10.2% of all cases of polyautoimmunity. A family history was recorded in 11.8%. According to the multivariate analysis, the factors associated with polyautoimmunity were female sex [odds ratio (95% CI), 1.72 (1.07, 2.72)], RP [1.63 (1.29, 2.05)], interstitial lung disease [3.35 (1.84, 6.01)], Jaccoud arthropathy [1.92 (1.40, 2.63)], anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB autoantibodies [2.03 (1.55, 2.67)], anti-RNP antibodies [1.48 (1.16, 1.90)], MTX [1.67 (1.26, 2.18)] and antimalarial drugs [0.50 (0.38, 0.67)]. Conclusion. Patients with SLE frequently present polyautoimmunity. We observed clinical and analytical characteristics associated with polyautoimmunity. Our finding that antimalarial drugs protected against polyautoimmunity should be verified in future studies

How does neighbourhood socio-economic status affect the interrelationships between functioning dimensions in first episode of psychosis? A network analysis approach

The links between psychosis and socio-economic disadvantage have been widely studied. No previous study has analysed the interrelationships and mutual influences between functioning dimensions in first episode of psychosis (FEP) according to their neighbourhood household income, using a multidimensional and transdiagnostic perspective. 170 patients and 129 controls, participants in an observational study (AGES-CM), comprised the study sample. The WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) was used to assess functioning, whereas participants' postcodes were used to obtain the average household income for each neighbourhood, collected by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). Network analyses were conducted with the aim of defining the interrelationships between the different dimensions of functioning according to the neighbourhood household income. Our results show that lower neighbourhood socioeconomic level is associated with lower functioning in patients with FEP. Moreover, our findings suggest that “household responsibilities” plays a central role in the disability of patients who live in low-income neighbourhoods, whereas “dealing with strangers” is the most important node in the network of patients who live in high-income neighbourhoods. These results could help to personalize treatments, by allowing the identification of potential functioning areas to be prioritized in the treatment of FEP according to the patient's neighbourhood characteristic

Impact of a Primary Care Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on Bacterial Resistance Control and Ecological Imprint in Urinary Tract Infections

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are a central component in reducing the overprescription of unnecessary antibiotics, with multiple studies showing benefits in the reduction of bacterial resistance. Less commonly, ASPs have been performed in outpatient settings, but there is a lack of available data in these settings. We implemented an ASP in a large regional outpatient setting to assess its feasibility and effectiveness. Over a 5-year post-implementation period, compared to the pre-intervention period, a significant reduction in antibiotic prescription occurred, with a reduction in resistance in E. coli urinary isolates. ASP activities also were found to be cost-effective, with a reduction in medication prescription

Uridine Metabolism in HIV-1-Infected Patients: Effect of Infection, of Antiretroviral Therapy and of HIV-1/ART-Associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome

Background Uridine has been advocated for the treatment of HIV-1/HAART-associated lipodystrophy (HALS), although its metabolism in HIV-1-infected patients is poorly understood. Methods Plasma uridine concentrations were measured in 35 controls and 221 HIV-1-infected patients and fat uridine in 15 controls and 19 patients. The diagnosis of HALS was performed following the criteria of the Lipodystrophy Severity Grading Scale. Uridine was measured by a binary gradient-elution HPLC method. Analysis of genes encoding uridine metabolizing enzymes in fat was performed with TaqMan RT-PCR. Results Median plasma uridine concentrations for HIV-1-infected patients were 3.80 µmol/l (interquartile range: 1.60), and for controls 4.60 µmol/l (IQR: 1.8) (P = 0.0009). In fat, they were of 6.0 (3.67), and 2.8 (4.65) nmol/mg of protein, respectively (P = 0.0118). Patients with a mixed HALS form had a median plasma uridine level of 4.0 (IC95%: 3.40-4.80) whereas in those with isolated lipoatrophy it was 3.25 (2.55-4.15) µmol/l/l (P = 0.0066). The expression of uridine cytidine kinase and uridine phosphorylase genes was significantly decreased in all groups of patients with respect to controls. A higher expression of the mRNAs for concentrative nucleoside transporters was found in HIV-1-infected patients with respect to healthy controls. Conclusions HIV-1 infection is associated with a decrease in plasma uridine and a shift of uridine to the adipose tissue compartment. Antiretroviral therapy was not associated with plasma uridine concentrations, but pure lipoatrophic HALS was associated with significantly lower plasma uridine concentrations

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species

Pasados y presente. Estudios para el profesor Ricardo García Cárcel

Ricardo García Cárcel (Requena, 1948) estudió Historia en Valencia bajo el magisterio de Joan Reglà, con quien formó parte del primer profesorado de historia moderna en la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. En esta universidad, desde hace prácticamente cincuenta años, ha desarrollado una extraordinaria labor docente y de investigación marcada por un sagaz instinto histórico, que le ha convertido en pionero de casi todo lo que ha estudiado: las Germanías, la historia de la Cataluña moderna, la Inquisición, las culturas del Siglo de Oro, la Leyenda Negra, Felipe II, Felipe V, Austrias y Borbones, la guerra de la Independencia, la historia cultural, los mitos de la historia de España... Muy pocos tienen su capacidad para reflexionar, ordenar, analizar, conceptualizar y proponer una visión amplia y llena de matices sobre el pasado y las interpretaciones historiográficas. A su laboriosidad inimitable se añade una dedicación sin límites en el asesoramiento de alumnos e investigadores e impulsando revistas, dosieres, seminarios o publicaciones colectivas. Una mínima correspondencia a su generosidad lo constituye este volumen a manera de ineludible agradecimiento