El potencial de los ecotonos urbanos como herramienta para construir mejores ciudades: el caso estudio de Moshi (Tanzania)

In the light of today urban planner’s role to find the potential of urban ecotones, the purpose of this paper is to understand how neglected areas can be seen as an opportunity to build better cities. Sennet R. (2018) argues that “when people imagine where the life of a community is to be found, they usually look for it in the centre, where planners try to intensify community life. This means neglecting the edge; the community turns inward as a result. Which is an error.” This paper will focus on the case study of Moshi, a small town in northern Tanzania that is strongly shaped by a neglected Train station built during German colonialism. The empty strip of the railways acts as a boundary, dividing the city into two: the main centre in one side and the unplanned and informal city on the other side. But what happens if we start ‘opening’ doors in this boundary? What if we emphasize the natural condition of the area to act as an ecotone? It is the responsibility of the planner to see beyond the boundary and to think out of the box of the spatial planning. A special attention will be dedicated to understand why the today planners challenge is to create membranes (Sennett, 2018), with even more emphasis in the ‘global south’ cities where inequalities among different communities have a great influence on the spatial planning and on the everyday life sphere, aiming to sew up fragmented urban fabrics in order to consolidate the territory and the relationships and exchanges among its inhabitants

Framing a counter-city: The story of Sheffield Otherwise

Urban planning and design have often been complicit in perpetuating the systems of oppression embedded in colonial, capitalist, hetero-patriarchal, and racist spatial structures. Amid the current civilizational crisis, how can we enable possibilities for emancipatory and counter-hegemonic planning (Friedmann, 1989) and design? In order for new possibilities to emerge, we need to unmake what we know and look for radical approaches and practices that allow us to understand our responsibility to create counter-cities that nurture radical hope. This article presents the project Sheffield Otherwise, an exploration using research-design practices to shape a counter-city. Through a learning alliance, we partner with two community organisations working with diasporic and queer communities to reveal and frame their legacies and stories as part of the living heritage of Sheffield. We use counter-archiving and counter-mapping methodologies to engage with these counterpublics that have been excluded from official narratives, urban policies, and public space representations. In doing so, this project challenges hegemonic narratives about stigma and questions hegemonic planning and design practices that often lack understanding of the spatial heritage of diverse communities. Based on this experience, we argue that Counter-City constitutes a radical approach to imagining spatial justice that requires crystallising counter-hegemonic planning and design practices with subaltern counterpublics using methods such as counter-archiving and counter-mapping

Framing a counter-city: The story of <em>Sheffield Otherwise</em>

Urban planning and design have often been complicit in perpetuating the systems of oppression embedded in colonial, capitalist, hetero-patriarchal, and racist spatial structures. Amid the current civilizational crisis, how can we enable possibilities for emancipatory and counter-hegemonic planning (Friedmann, 1989) and design? In order for new possibilities to emerge, we need to unmake what we know and look for radical approaches and practices that allow us to understand our responsibility to create counter-cities that nurture radical hope. This article presents the project Sheffield Otherwise, an exploration using research-design practices to shape a counter-city. Through a learning alliance, we partner with two community organisations working with diasporic and queer communities to reveal and frame their legacies and stories as part of the living heritage of Sheffield. We use counter-archiving and counter-mapping methodologies to engage with these counterpublics that have been excluded from official narratives, urban policies, and public space representations. In doing so, this project challenges hegemonic narratives about stigma and questions hegemonic planning and design practices that often lack understanding of the spatial heritage of diverse communities. Based on this experience, we argue that Counter-City constitutes a radical approach to imagining spatial justice that requires crystallising counter-hegemonic planning and design practices with subaltern counterpublics using methods such as counter-archiving and counter-mapping

Light-driven hydrogen evolution assisted by covalent organic frameworks

Altres ajuts: RSCCovalent organic frameworks (COFs) are crystalline porous organic polymers built from covalent organic blocks that can be photochemically active when incorporating organic semiconducting units, such as triazine rings or diacetylene bridges. The bandgap, charge separation capacity, porosity, wettability, and chemical stability of COFs can be tuned by properly choosing their constitutive building blocks, by extension of conjugation, by adjustment of the size and crystallinity of the pores, and by synthetic post-functionalization. This review focuses on the recent uses of COFs as photoactive platforms for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), in which usually metal nanoparticles (NPs) or metallic compounds (generally Pt-based) act as co-catalysts. The most promising COF-based photocatalytic HER systems will be discussed, and special emphasis will be placed on rationalizing their structure and light-harvesting properties in relation to their catalytic activity and stability under turnover conditions. Finally, the aspects that need to be improved in the coming years will be discussed, such as the degree of dispersibility in water, the global photocatalytic efficiency, and the robustness and stability of the hybrid systems, putting emphasis on both the COF and the metal co-catalyst

Improved adhesion of cathodic arc PVD AlCrSiN coating on ion-implanted WC-Co substrates

Ion implantation has been shown to improve adhesion strength of AlCrSiN coatings due to a synergic enhancement on fracture toughness and load bearing capability of the substrate that can potentially increase the in-service efficiency of coated cutting tools. In this work, AlCrSiN coatings deposited by PVD on WC-Co substrates implanted with Ti, Cr and N ion species have been processed. The mechanical properties and adhesion have been characterized by contact techniques and the residual stress of the coatings and substrates have been evaluated using FIB-DIC technique and Vickers indentation tests, respectively. An improvement of adhesion strength is obtained for treated substrates, especially for those implanted with titanium and chromium ions. This improvement is attributed to the introduction of residual stresses in the substrate, which increases its fracture toughness and enhances its load bearing capability.Work funded through The Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through grants PGC-2018-096855-B-C41, PGC-2018-096855-B-C42 and PGC-2018-096855-A-C4

Major candidate variables to guide personalised treatment with steroids in critically ill patients with COVID-19: CIBERESUCICOVID study

Purpose: Although there is evidence supporting the benefits of corticosteroids in patients affected with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is little information related to their potential benefits or harm in some subgroups of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19. We aim to investigate to find candidate variables to guide personalized treatment with steroids in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Methods: Multicentre, observational cohort study including consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to 55 Spanish ICUs. The primary outcome was 90-day mortality. Subsequent analyses in clinically relevant subgroups by age, ICU baseline illness severity, organ damage, laboratory findings and mechanical ventilation were performed. High doses of corticosteroids (≥ 12 mg/day equivalent dexamethasone dose), early administration of corticosteroid treatment (< 7 days since symptom onset) and long term of corticosteroids (≥ 10 days) were also investigated. Results: Between February 2020 and October 2021, 4226 patients were included. Of these, 3592 (85%) patients had received systemic corticosteroids during hospitalisation. In the propensity-adjusted multivariable analysis, the use of corticosteroids was protective for 90-day mortality in the overall population (HR 0.77 [0.65–0.92], p = 0.003) and in-hospital mortality (SHR 0.70 [0.58–0.84], p < 0.001). Significant effect modification was found after adjustment for covariates using propensity score for age (p = 0.001 interaction term), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (p = 0.014 interaction term), and mechanical ventilation (p = 0.001 interaction term). We observed a beneficial effect of corticosteroids on 90-day mortality in various patient subgroups, including those patients aged ≥ 60 years; those with higher baseline severity; and those receiving invasive mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. Early administration was associated with a higher risk of 90-day mortality in the overall population (HR 1.32 [1.14–1.53], p < 0.001). Long-term use was associated with a lower risk of 90-day mortality in the overall population (HR 0.71 [0.61–0.82], p < 0.001). No effect was found regarding the dosage of corticosteroids. Moreover, the use of corticosteroids was associated with an increased risk of nosocomial bacterial pneumonia and hyperglycaemia. Conclusion: Corticosteroid in ICU-admitted patients with COVID-19 may be administered based on age, severity, baseline inflammation, and invasive mechanical ventilation. Early administration since symptom onset may prove harmful.15 página

P2P4L2L (Peer to Peer for Learning to Learn)

Projecte: 2016PID-UB / 024Memòria del projecte P2P4L2L (Peer to Peer for Learning to Learn) 2016PID-UB / 024 llevado a cabo entre 2016 i 2018 sobre el disseny i desenvolupament de pràctiques d'avaluació entre iguals per desenvolupar la competència d'aprendre a aprendre.Memoria del proyecto P2P4L2L (Peer to Peer for Learning to Learn) 2016PID-UB / 024 implementado entre 2016 y 2018 sobre el diseño y desarrollo de prácticas de evaluación entre iguales para desarrollar la competencia de aprender a aprender.PMI

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in young adults

Background The clinical manifestations of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) usually appear in adulthood, however pediatric series report a high morbidity. The objective of the study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of ADPKD in young adults. Methods Family history, hypertension, albuminuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and imaging tests were examined in 346 young adults (18-30 years old) out of 2521 patients in the Spanish ADPKD registry (REPQRAD). A literature review searched for reports on hypertension in series with more than 50 young (age <30 years) ADPKD patients. Results The mean age of this young adult cohort was 25.24 (SD 3.72) years. The mean age at diagnosis of hypertension was 21.15 (SD 4.62) years, while in the overall REPQRAD population was aged 37.6 years. The prevalence of hypertension was 28.03% and increased with age (18-24 years, 16.8%; 25-30 years, 36.8%). Although prevalence was lower in women than in men, the age at onset of hypertension (21 years) was similar in both sexes. Mean eGFR was 108 (SD 21) mL/min/1.73 m(2), 38.0% had liver cysts and 3.45% of those studied had intracranial aneurysms. In multivariate analyses, hematuria episodes and kidney length were independent predictors of hypertension (area under the curve 0.75). The prevalence of hypertension in 22 pediatric cohorts was 20%-40%, but no literature reports on hypertension in young ADPKD adults were found. Conclusions Young adults present non-negligible ADPKD-related morbidity. This supports the need for a thorough assessment of young adults at risk of ADPKD that allows early diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Lay Summary Impairment of renal function usually develops from the fourth decade of life in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, hypertension precedes the onset of renal insufficiency. In published pediatric series, the prevalence of hypertension is 20%-40%. However, clinical information on young adults with ADPKD is scarce. We present the largest cohort of young adults (age 18-30 years) with ADPKD published to date. Prevalence of hypertension is 28% and increases with age, reaching 36.8% in the subgroup aged 25-30 years, despite normal glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria. The prevalence of hypertension is higher in males, but the mean age at diagnosis (21 years) was similar in both sexes. Young adults present non-negligible ADPKD-related morbidity. This supports the need for a thorough assessment that allows early diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, before decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may be especially useful in this regard.11 página

Bacterial co-infection at hospital admission in patients with COVID-19

Objectives: We described the current incidence and risk factors of bacterial co-infection in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Methods: Observational cohort study was performed at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (February 2020-February 2021). All patients with COVID-19 who were admitted for >48 hours with microbiological sample collection and procalcitonin (PCT) determination within the first 48 hours were included. Results: A total of 1125 consecutive adults met inclusion criteria. Co-infections were microbiologically documented in 102 (9.1%) patients. Most frequent microorganisms were Streptococcus pneumoniae (79%), Staphylococcus aureus (6.8%), and Haemophilus influenzae (6.8%). Test positivity was 1% (8/803) for blood cultures, 10.1% (79/780) for pneumococcal urinary antigen test, and 11.4% (15/132) for sputum culture. Patients with PCT higher than 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 2 ng/mL had significantly more co-infections than those with lower levels (p=0.017, p=0.031, p94%