Inner Shelf Circulation in Coastal Virginia: A Data Assimilation Approach

The primary objective of this dissertation is to describe the tidal and subtidal flow patterns over the inner shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula, located in the Mid-Atlantic Bight of the United States (36.6–38.0 N), north of the Chesapeake Bay. The objective is pursued with a combination of direct measurements and numerical assimilative techniques. The dynamic balance of the study area is little known, and the distribution of tidal properties has not been described for this area since very rough descriptions in the 1950\u27s. Hydrographic and current velocity profiles from four regional cruises in the inner shelf were used to study the area. The tidal and subtidal fields were studied using data assimilation techniques on a numerical model. The model described the spatial and temporal dynamics of the area and included vertically averaged shallow water equations. Current velocity measurements were assimilated into the model using the adjoint method. Concurrent predicted sea level data from inside the Chesapeake Bay were also assimilated in order to incorporate the sea level signal in the model. Measured current velocities were not able to represent adequately the tidal signal in the location of sea level stations, except for one cruise. In turn, sea level data were not able to recover shipboard current measurements. A weighted combination of both data sources and a regularization term that penalized vorticity, gave the best results in terms of minimizing the root mean square error of un-assimilated information. The mean circulation obtained over the inner shelf was less than 10 cm s−1 and oriented along shelf. The mean flow and elevation reflected semigeostrophic dynamics with along shore pressure gradient balanced by friction and rotation, and cross shore pressure gradient balanced by rotation. The mean flow and elevation had spatial scales of 15–40km in the along shelf direction. The across shelf direction presented smaller scales (3–5 km). In terms of tidal flows, the semidiurnal constituent was dominant, with magnitudes of 30 cm s−1. The diurnal constituent was less than 10 cm s−1. The propagation of the semidiurnal tide could be explained as combination of a Kelvin and a Poincaré wave that transform into a coastal trapped Kelvin wave as it moves into the Chesapeake Bay

Chronobiology of Epilepsy

A fine balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition governs the physiological state of the brain. It has been hypothesized that when this balance is lost as a result of excessive excitation or reduced inhibition, pathological states such as epilepsy emerge. Decades of investigation have shown this to be true in vitro. However, in vivo evidence of the emerging imbalance during the "latent period" between the initiation of injury and the expression of the first spontaneous behavioral seizure has not been demonstrated. Here, we provide the first demonstration of this emerging imbalance between excitation and inhibition in vivo by employing long term, high temporal resolution, and continuous local field recordings from microelectrode arrays implanted in an animal model of limbic epilepsy. We were able to track both the inhibitory and excitatory postsynaptic field activity during the entire latent period, from the time of injury to the occurrence of the first spontaneous epileptic seizure. During this latent period we observe a sustained increase in the firing rate of the excitatory postsynaptic field activity, paired with a subsequent decrease in the firing rate of the inhibitory postsynaptic field activity within the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Firing rates of both excitatory and inhibitory CA1 field activities followed a circadian- like rhythm, which is locked near in-phase in controls and near anti-phase during the latent period. We think that these observed changes are implicated in the occurrence of spontaneous seizure onset following injury

Cervical Ripening for Induction of Labor

Decrease in Cervidil use for cervical ripening by 20% of anticipated doses prior to Dec 1, 2018 (6 mos) , with a potential for cost savings = 40 doses x approx. $2000/dose =$80,000

Kinetic study of some quality characteristics of a powdered product obtained by spray drying of sugarcane juice and sweet whey protein concentrate

The products obtained by spray drying have amorphous structures whose water absorption capacity during storage affects their physicochemical properties. This study evaluated the kinetics of water absorption and the change in the physicochemical properties of a product obtained from sugarcane juice (JCP) and whey protein concentrate (WPC), which was exposed to the environment for 36 hours simulating storage conditions at 25 °C and 70% relative humidity. The increase in moisture content and water activity (aw) was modeled using the Peleg and exponential models with a high goodness of fit (R2 > 98%). In addition, a decrease in the Tg was observed. Increases in both, the color parameters a* and b* and the particle size was noticed along with a decrease in wettability. This was generated by the plasticizing effect of water, possible Maillard reactions and particle agglomeration, respectively.  Los productos obtenidos mediante secado por aspersión poseen estructuras amorfas cuya capacidad de absorción de agua durante el almacenamiento afecta sus propiedades fisicoquímicas. En este estudio se evaluó la cinética de absorción de agua y el cambio de las propiedades fisicoquímicas de un producto obtenido a partir de jugo de caña panelera (JCP) y concentrado proteico de suero (WPC), el cual fue expuesto al ambiente durante 36 horas simulando condiciones de almacenamiento a 25 °C y 70 % de humedad relativa. El incremento en el contenido de humedad y la aw fueron modelados usando los modelos de Peleg y exponencial con alta bondad de ajuste (R2 > 98%). Además, se observó disminución de la Tg, incremento en los parámetros de color a* y b*, aumento de tamaño de partícula y disminución de humectabilidad, generados por el efecto plastificante del agua, posibles reacciones de Maillard y aglomeración de partículas, respectivamente

Ross Macdonald: Un modelo para la dinámica del dengue en Cali, Colombia

El dengue es una infección transmitida por mosquitos que se presenta en todas las regiones tropicales y subtropicales del planeta. En años recientes, la transmisión ha aumentado de manera predominante en zonas urbanas y semiurbanas y se ha convertido en un importante problema de salud pública. El Instituto Nacional de Salud, INS, ubicó a Cali como el municipio con más casos de dengue en Colombia. De acuerdo con el INS, en la ciudad de Cali, hasta la semana epidemiológica 18 (del 28 de abril al 4 de mayo de 2013), se han notificado 5.134 casos de dengue y 171 de dengue grave.En este trabajo se presenta la descripción del modelo Ross-Macdonald, el análisis cualitativo de dicho modelo, y el análisis de sensibilidad del modelo a cambios en sus parámetros. Y base en el ajuste del modelo obtenido para los casos presentados en el 2010, se hacen y analizan simulaciones de posibles escenarios de brotes epidémicos en la ciudad de Cali

On the interpretation of changes in the subtropical oxygen minimum zone volume off Chile during two La Niña events (2001 and 2007)

Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are extended oceanic regions for which dissolved oxygen concentration is extremely low. They are suspected to be expanding in response to global warming. However, currently, the mechanisms by which OMZ varies in response to climate variability are still uncertain. Here, the variability of the subtropical OMZ off central Chile of a regional coupled physical–biogeochemical regional model simulation was analyzed for the period 2000–2008, noting that its fluctuations were significant despite the relatively weak amplitude of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In particular, the interannual variability in the OMZ volume (OMZVOL, defined as the volume with dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) ≤ 45μM) was approximately 38% larger than that of the seasonal cycle, with maximum and minimum anomalies of OMZVOL taking place during two cold La Niña (LN) years (2001 and 2007). The model analyses further reveal that these anomalies resulted from a combined effect of changes in (1) the oxygen-poor waters poleward transport by the Peru–Chile undercurrent (PCUC), (2) the intensity of quasi-zonal jets influencing the transport of water to and from the OMZ, and (3) the zonal DO transport related to mesoscale eddy activity. Specifically, the interannual variability of the PCUC modulated primarily the DO contents of the OMZ core [(DO) ≤ 20μM] and secondarily the OMZVOL, while cross-shore DO transport by the zonal jets and the eddy fluxes played a major role in ventilating and shaping the offshore extent of the OMZ. When the OMZVOL was maximum (minimum), the PCUC transport was slightly increased (reduced), which was associated with a reduction (increase) in the ventilation of the OMZ through negative (positive) anomalies of zonal advection and DO eddy fluxes. Our results demonstrate that significant natural interannual variability in the subtropical OMZ off Chile originates from the interplay between oceanic equatorial teleconnection (PCUC transport) and local non-linear dynamics (the zonal jets and mesoscale eddies)

Investigación en Matemáticas, Economía, Ciencias Sociales y Agronomía

Cada trabajo del libro incluye conclusiones para los interesados en las temáticas aludidas y en ellos nos enteramos de aspectos como los siguientes: - El mayor incremento del precio de los insumos como el maíz, sorgo y en menor medida desperdicio de pan, en relación con el menor crecimiento del precio del ganado en pie, dará como consecuencia un desabasto de carne bovina. - El agua es un recurso primordial en las zonas áridas y semiáridas de México, en tanto que su aporte limita la producción de la agricultura. En este estudio se observó que el precio real del agua es muy bajo en relación a otras zonas agrícolas del mundo. - Hoy en día en el país se consumen alrededor de 718 mil barriles diarios de gasolinas, un aproximado de 113.7 millones de litros, una cantidad tan grande que nuestro país se ve en la necesidad de importar cerca del 39 % de las gasolinas que consumimos. - Los jaliscienses radicados en Estados Unidos tienen una mayor capacidad de financiamiento del bienestar en la entidad, que el propio gobierno de ese estado. - México continuará basando sus finanzas públicas y su política de desarrollo económico en la extracción de combustibles fósiles (petróleo). Este modelo acelerará el deterioro y agotamiento de los recursos naturales. -La importancia de la agricultura orgánica radica en que retoma los tres ámbitos de la sustentabilidad; el ámbito ambiental, el económico y el social. - Es fundamental motivar la organización de los productores de haba para que ellos puedan captar una mayor proporción de los altos márgenes de precios que los consumidores están dispuestos a pagar. - Las condiciones del clima afectan a la producción agraria. Debido al fenómeno de cambio climático, es necesario contar con herramientas informáticas que proporcionen información climatológica para poder tomar medidas preventivas a favor de una mayor cantidad y calidad de producción. La herramienta de software permite la consulta del clima por localidades evitando la necesidad de contar con una estación meteorológica

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium report, datasummary of 50 countries for 2010-2015 : Device-associated module

Q3Artículo original1495-1504Background: We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) sur-veillance study from January 2010-December 2015 in 703 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America,Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific.Methods:During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Health-care Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 861,284 patients hospitalized in INICC hospital ICUs for an aggregateof 3,506,562 days.Results:Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAIrates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the INICC medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection, 4.1 per 1,000 central line-days, was nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.8per 1,000 central line-days reported from comparable US ICUs, the overall rate of ventilator-associatedpneumonia was also higher, 13.1 versus 0.9 per 1,000 ventilator-days, as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, 5.07 versus 1.7 per 1,000 catheter-days. From blood cultures samples,frequencies of resistance ofPseudomonasisolates to amikacin (29.87% vs 10%) and to imipenem (44.3%vs 26.1%), and ofKlebsiella pneumoniaeisolates to ceftazidime (73.2% vs 28.8%) and to imipenem (43.27%vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC ICUs compared with CDC-NHSN ICUs.Conclusions:Although DA-HAIs in INICC ICU patients continue to be higher than the rates reported inCDC-NSHN ICUs representing the developed world, we have observed a significant trend toward the re-duction of DA-HAI rates in INICC ICUs as shown in each international report. It is INICC’s main goal tocontinue facilitating education, training, and basic and cost-effective tools and resources, such as stan-dardized forms and an online platform, to tackle this problem effectively and systematically

Environmental isotope and geochemical investigation of groundwater in Big Bend National Park, Texas

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Bibliography: leaves 102-107.Not availabl

Comentarios a 'Aplicación de un modelo de trazadores lagrangianos en Bahía Anegada, Argentina' de Alvarez et al. (2011)

The paper by Alvarez et al. (2011) describes the use of a hydrodynamic numerical model to study the dispersion and sedimentation of particles at 2 points in Bahía Anegada (Argentina). This study is aimed to study the role of Crassostrea gigas as an invasive species. It is concluded that the particles liberated at those points do not represent a risk to the adjacent littoral zone. We consider that the article lack an adequate presentation of objectives, methods, and over the entire hydrodynamic model is not well validated. These factors undermine substantially the conclusions obtained