El salto ético, o por dónde empezar (Spinoza con Kant)

La qüestió que es planteja és la de l'origen de la legitimitat ètica i la de l'arrencada de la proposició ètica més enllà d'un mer començament com a acte de parla o d'escriptura. El gest del pensament en ètica comporta una apel·lació a la confiança o a l'autoritat no exempta de problemes, que comencen a temptejar en aquest article a partir de Kant però des d'una perspectiva prèvia espinocista, de tal manera que la comparació entre ambdós estils de pensament fa més evident una estratègia de autolegitimació discursiva en el raonament ètic.The question I want to examine is the problem of an ethical legitimacy and the starting of the ethical proposition as something more complicated than a mere speech act or a writing and thinking process. In Ethics, the philosophical gesture means a call for trust or authority. The problems of such a latent «trust me» or «believe me» in the ethical proposition, which pretends to be rational and transparent, are here outlined by confronting Spinoza with Kant in order to make clearer both strategies of self-legitimation and the differences between them.La cuestión que se plantea es la del origen de la legitimidad ética y la del arranque de la proposición ética más allá de un mero comienzo como acto de habla o de escritura. El gesto del pensamiento en ética conlleva una apelación a la confianza o a la autoridad no exenta de problemas, que se comienzan a tantear en este artículo a partir de Kant pero desde una perspectiva previa espinocista, de tal modo que la comparación entre ambosestilos de pensamiento hace más evidente una estrategia de autolegitimación discursiva en el razonamiento ético

Growth of Au-Pd2Sn nanorods via galvanic replacement and their catalytic performance on hydrogenation and sonogashira coupling reactions

Colloidal Pd2Sn and Au–Pd2Sn nanorods (NRs) with tuned size were produced by the reduction of Pd and Sn salts in the presence of size- and shape-controlling agents and the posterior growth of Au tips through a galvanic replacement reaction. Pd2Sn and Au–Pd2Sn NRs exhibited high catalytic activity toward quasi-homogeneous hydrogenation of alkenes (styrene and 1-octene) and alkynes (phenylacetylene and 1-octyne) in dichloromethane. Au–Pd2Sn NRs showed higher activity than Pd2Sn for 1-octene, 1-octyne, and phenylacetylene. In Au–Pd2Sn heterostructures, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy evidenced an electron donation from the Pd2Sn NR to the Au tips. Such heterostructures showed distinct catalytic behavior in the hydrogenation of compounds containing a triple bond such as tolan. This can be explained by the aurophilicity of triple bonds. To further study this effect, Pd2Sn and Au–Pd2Sn NRs were also tested in the Sonogashira coupling reaction between iodobenzene and phenylacetylene in N,N-dimethylformamide. At low concentration, this reaction provided the expected product, tolan. However, at high concentration, more reduced products such as stilbene and 1,2-diphenylethane were also obtained, even without the addition of H2. A mechanism for this unexpected reduction is proposed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Mn3O4@CoMn2O4-CoxOy nanoparticles : partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

Mn3O4@CoMn2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were produced at low temperature and ambient atmosphere using a one -pot two-step synthesis protocol involving the cation exchange of Mn by Co in preformed Mn3O4 NPs. Selecting the proper cobalt precursor, the nucleation of CoxOy crystallites at the Mn3O4@a CoMn2O4 surface could be simultaneously promoted to form Mn3O4@CoMn2O4-CoxOy NPs. Such heterostructured NPs were investigated for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR, OER) in alkaline solution. Mn3O4@ CoMn2O4-Cox0y NPs with [Co]/[Mn] = 1 showed low overpotentials of 0.31 Vat(-3) mA.cm(-2) and a small Tafel slope of 52 mV.dec(-1) for ORR, and overpotentials of 0.31 V at 10 mAPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Respiratory support in patients with severe COVID-19 in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection (ISARIC) COVID-19 study: a prospective, multinational, observational study

Invasive mechanical ventilation; COVID-19; Critical careVentilación mecánica invasiva; COVID-19; Cuidado críticoVentilació mecànica invasiva; COVID-19; Atenció críticaBackground Up to 30% of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 require advanced respiratory support, including high-flow nasal cannulas (HFNC), non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV), or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, outcomes and risk factors for failing non-invasive respiratory support in patients treated with severe COVID-19 during the first two years of the pandemic in high-income countries (HICs) and low middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This is a multinational, multicentre, prospective cohort study embedded in the ISARIC-WHO COVID-19 Clinical Characterisation Protocol. Patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who required hospital admission were recruited prospectively. Patients treated with HFNC, NIV, or IMV within the first 24 h of hospital admission were included in this study. Descriptive statistics, random forest, and logistic regression analyses were used to describe clinical characteristics and compare clinical outcomes among patients treated with the different types of advanced respiratory support. Results A total of 66,565 patients were included in this study. Overall, 82.6% of patients were treated in HIC, and 40.6% were admitted to the hospital during the first pandemic wave. During the first 24 h after hospital admission, patients in HICs were more frequently treated with HFNC (48.0%), followed by NIV (38.6%) and IMV (13.4%). In contrast, patients admitted in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) were less frequently treated with HFNC (16.1%) and the majority received IMV (59.1%). The failure rate of non-invasive respiratory support (i.e. HFNC or NIV) was 15.5%, of which 71.2% were from HIC and 28.8% from LMIC. The variables most strongly associated with non-invasive ventilation failure, defined as progression to IMV, were high leukocyte counts at hospital admission (OR [95%CI]; 5.86 [4.83–7.10]), treatment in an LMIC (OR [95%CI]; 2.04 [1.97–2.11]), and tachypnoea at hospital admission (OR [95%CI]; 1.16 [1.14–1.18]). Patients who failed HFNC/NIV had a higher 28-day fatality ratio (OR [95%CI]; 1.27 [1.25–1.30]). Conclusions In the present international cohort, the most frequently used advanced respiratory support was the HFNC. However, IMV was used more often in LMIC. Higher leucocyte count, tachypnoea, and treatment in LMIC were risk factors for HFNC/NIV failure. HFNC/NIV failure was related to worse clinical outcomes, such as 28-day mortality.This work was supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and Wellcome [215091/Z/18/Z] and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [OPP1209135]; CIHR Coronavirus Rapid Research Funding Opportunity OV2170359; Grants from Rapid European COVID-19 Emergency Response research (RECOVER) [H2020 Project 101003589] and European Clinical Research Alliance on Infectious Diseases (ECRAID) [965313]; The Imperial NIHR Biomedical Research Centre; The Cambridge NIHR Biomedical Research Centre; and Endorsed by the Irish Critical Care-Clinical Trials Group, co-ordinated in Ireland by the Irish Critical Care-Clinical Trials Network at University College Dublin and funded by the Health Research Board of Ireland [CTN-2014-12]. This work uses Data/Materials provided by patients and collected by the NHS as part of their care and support #DataSavesLives. The Data/materials used for this research were obtained from ISARIC4C. The COVID-19 Clinical Information Network (CO-CIN) data was collated by ISARIC4C Investigators. Data and Material provision were supported by grants from: the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR; award CO-CIN-01), the Medical Research Council (MRC; Grant MC_PC_19059), and the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections at the University of Liverpool in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), (Award 200907), Wellcome Trust [Turtle, Lance-fellowship 205228/Z/16/Z], NIHR HPRU in Respiratory Infections at Imperial College London with PHE (Award 200927), Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (Grant C18616/A25153), NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Imperial College London (Award IS-BRC-1215-20013), and NIHR Clinical Research Network providing infrastructure support. This work was possible due to the dedication and hard work of the Norwegian SARS-CoV-2 study team and supported by grants from Research Council of Norway Grant No. 312780 and a philanthropic donation from Vivaldi Invest A/S owned by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner; The dedication and hard work of the Groote Schuur Hospital Covid ICU Team, and supported by the Groote Schuur nursing and University of Cape Town registrar bodies coordinated by the Division of Critical Care at the University of Cape Town; and supported by the COVID clinical management team, AIIMS, Rishikesh, India

Identifying anthropogenic features at Seoke (Botswana) using pXRF: Expanding the record of southern African Stone Walled Sites.

Numerous and extensive 'Stone Walled Sites' have been identified in southern African Iron Age landscapes. Appearing from around 1200 CE, and showing considerable variability in size and form, these settlements are named after the dry-stone wall structures that characterize them. Stone Walled Sites were occupied by various Bantu-speaking agropastoral communities. In this paper we test the use of pXRF (portable X-ray fluorescence analysis) to generate a 'supplementary' archaeological record where evident stratigraphy is lacking, survey conditions may be uneven, and excavations limited, due to the overall site size. We propose herein the application of portable X-ray fluorescence analysis (pXRF) coupled with multivariate exploratory analysis and geostatistical modelling at Seoke, a southern African SWS of historical age (18th century CE). The aim of the paper is twofold: to explore the potential of the application of a low cost, quick, and minimally invasive technique to detect chemical markers in anthropogenic sediments from a Stone Walled Site, and to propose a way to analyse the results in order to improve our understanding of the use of space at non-generalized scales in such sites

Study of the orpiment and anorpiment phases of As2S3 under pressure

[EN] In this work we study the pressure behaviour of the orpiment (monoclinic) and anorpiment (triclinic) layered structures of As2S3 by means of ab initio calculations performed within the density functional theory, as part of an ongoing theoretical and experimental joint effort to provide a comprehensive picture of the bonding of this interesting material and the evolution of its structural, electronic, and vibrational properties under pressure.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain through Projects No. MAT2013-46649-C04-02-P and MAT2013-46649-C04-03-P. Computer time in the MALTA computer cluster at the University of Oviedo, Spain, is also gratefully acknowledged (MINECO Project No. CSD2007-00045).Randescu, S.; Mújica, A.; Rodríguez-Hernández, P.; Muñoz, A.; Ibañez, J.; Sans-Tresserras, JÁ.; Cuenca Gotor, VP.... (2017). Study of the orpiment and anorpiment phases of As2S3 under pressure. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 950:042018-042018. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/950/4/042018S042018042018950Brazhkin, V. V., Katayama, Y., Kondrin, M. V., Lyapin, A. G., & Saitoh, H. (2010). Structural transformation yielding an unusual metallic state in liquidAs2S3under high pressure. Physical Review B, 82(14). doi:10.1103/physrevb.82.140202Gibbs, G. V., Wallace, A. F., Zallen, R., Downs, R. T., Ross, N. L., Cox, D. F., & Rosso, K. M. (2010). Bond Paths and van der Waals Interactions in Orpiment, As2S3. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 114(23), 6550-6557. doi:10.1021/jp102391aKampf, A. R., Downs, R. T., Housley, R. M., Jenkins, R. A., & Hyršl, J. (2011). Anorpiment, As2S3, the triclinic dimorph of orpiment. Mineralogical Magazine, 75(6), 2857-2867. doi:10.1180/minmag.2011.075.6.2857Bolotina, N. B., Brazhkin, V. V., Dyuzheva, T. I., Katayama, Y., Kulikova, L. F., Lityagina, L. V., & Nikolaev, N. A. (2014). High-pressure polymorphism of As2S3 and new AsS2 modification with layered structure. JETP Letters, 98(9), 539-543. doi:10.1134/s0021364013220025Bolotina, N. B., Brazhkin, V. V., Dyuzheva, T. I., Lityagina, L. M., Kulikova, L. F., Nikolaev, N. A., & Verin, I. A. (2013). Crystal structure of new AsS2 compound. Crystallography Reports, 58(1), 61-64. doi:10.1134/s1063774513010069Kresse, G., & Hafner, J. (1993). Ab initiomolecular dynamics for liquid metals. Physical Review B, 47(1), 558-561. doi:10.1103/physrevb.47.558Kresse, G., & Furthmüller, J. (1996). Efficiency of ab-initio total energy calculations for metals and semiconductors using a plane-wave basis set. Computational Materials Science, 6(1), 15-50. doi:10.1016/0927-0256(96)00008-0Kresse, G., & Furthmüller, J. (1996). Efficient iterative schemes forab initiototal-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set. Physical Review B, 54(16), 11169-11186. doi:10.1103/physrevb.54.11169Perdew, J. P., Burke, K., & Ernzerhof, M. (1996). Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple. Physical Review Letters, 77(18), 3865-3868. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.77.3865Perdew, J. P., Ruzsinszky, A., Csonka, G. I., Vydrov, O. A., Scuseria, G. E., Constantin, L. A., … Burke, K. (2008). Restoring the Density-Gradient Expansion for Exchange in Solids and Surfaces. Physical Review Letters, 100(13). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.100.136406Kresse, G., & Joubert, D. (1999). From ultrasoft pseudopotentials to the projector augmented-wave method. Physical Review B, 59(3), 1758-1775. doi:10.1103/physrevb.59.1758Blöchl, P. E. (1994). Projector augmented-wave method. Physical Review B, 50(24), 17953-17979. doi:10.1103/physrevb.50.17953Monkhorst, H. J., & Pack, J. D. (1976). Special points for Brillouin-zone integrations. Physical Review B, 13(12), 5188-5192. doi:10.1103/physrevb.13.5188Grimme, S. (2006). Semiempirical GGA-type density functional constructed with a long-range dispersion correction. Journal of Computational Chemistry, 27(15), 1787-1799. doi:10.1002/jcc.20495Grimme, S., Antony, J., Ehrlich, S., & Krieg, H. (2010). A consistent and accurate ab initio parametrization of density functional dispersion correction (DFT-D) for the 94 elements H-Pu. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 132(15), 154104. doi:10.1063/1.3382344Birch, F. (1947). Finite Elastic Strain of Cubic Crystals. Physical Review, 71(11), 809-824. doi:10.1103/physrev.71.809Mujica, A., Rubio, A., Muñoz, A., & Needs, R. J. (2003). High-pressure phases of group-IV, III–V, and II–VI compounds. Reviews of Modern Physics, 75(3), 863-912. doi:10.1103/revmodphys.75.863Alfè, D. (2009). PHON: A program to calculate phonons using the small displacement method. Computer Physics Communications, 180(12), 2622-2633. doi:10.1016/j.cpc.2009.03.01

Satellite-Based Monitoring of Primary Production in a Mediterranean Islet Post Black Rat Eradication

Invasive rodents have a detrimental impact on terrestrial ecosystem functioning, this is often exacerbated on small islands. Rat eradication campaigns are often used to deal with this environmental perturbation given their classification as invasive species. Studies assessing the effects of rodent control at ecosystem scale are scarce and thus little is known about the subsequent functional response of vegetation subsequent to rat control. In this work, we use remote sensing to assess the effects of black rat (Rattus rattus) eradication on Mediterranean vegetation productivity in the Sa Dragonera Islet, Mallorca (Spain). Rats feed on seeds, sprouts, and leaves of woody vegetation and hence we expect primary production to increase nine years after the rodenticide campaign. The Break Detection approach for additive season and trend (BFAST method) was adopted to examine changes in vegetation density before and after the eradication campaign in Sa Dragonera Islet (Balearic Islands), using a temporal series of monthly NDVI data extracted from Landsat imagery. The same temporal trends were examined for a control zone where no rat eradication took place, in order to control for weather-driven changes. The results of this study revealed changes across the 21-year monthly NDVI time series. However, the dates, magnitude, and trend of these changes could not be explicitly attributed to the action of rats, when compared to the historical changes on the islet and the changes found to co-occur within the control zone. These finding could, perhaps, be explained by the high resilience of Mediterranean shrubs to browsing including that of rat invasion. However, the results from the study appear to show that rat damage on specific plant species, with little contribution to global NDVI values, would be overshadowed by the effects of broader environmental factors in this remote sensing approach. The results suggest that the current passive restoration scheme imposed following eradication is not sufficient for effective ecosystem restoratio

Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with severe COVID-19 registered in the ISARIC WHO clinical characterization protocol: A prospective, multinational, observational study

COVID-19; Complications; MortalityCOVID-19; Complicacions; MortalitatCOVID-19; Complicaciones; MortalidadPurpose To determine its cumulative incidence, identify the risk factors associated with Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) development, and its impact clinical outcomes. Materials and methods This multinational, multicentre, prospective cohort study from the ISARIC database. We used bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions to explore the risk factors related to MACE development and determine its impact on 28-day and 90-day mortality. Results 49,479 patients were included. Most were male 63.5% (31,441/49,479) and from high-income countries (84.4% [42,774/49,479]); however, >6000 patients were registered in low-and-middle-income countries. MACE cumulative incidence during their hospital stay was 17.8% (8829/49,479). The main risk factors independently associated with the development of MACE were older age, chronic kidney disease or cardiovascular disease, smoking history, and requirement of vasopressors or invasive mechanical ventilation at admission. The overall 28-day and 90-day mortality were higher among patients who developed MACE than those who did not (63.1% [5573/8829] vs. 35.6% [14,487/40,650] p < 0.001; 69.9% [6169/8829] vs. 37.8% [15,372/40,650] p < 0.001, respectively). After adjusting for confounders, MACE remained independently associated with higher 28-day and 90-day mortality (Odds Ratio [95% CI], 1.36 [1.33–1.39];1.47 [1.43–1.50], respectively). Conclusions Patients with severe COVID-19 frequently develop MACE, which is independently associated with worse clinical outcomes

Asociación entre obesidad y caries dental en niños y adolescentes. Revisión.

Obesidad y caries dental comparten factores de riesgo comunes y modificables: dieta y estilo de vida. Objetivo: Identificar y analizar la literatura disponible sobre la posible asociación entre obesidad y caries dental en niños y adolescentes. Método: Dos investigadoras realizaron una revisión de la literatura en idiomas español, inglé s y portugués utilizando Pubmed, SciELO, Latindex y Cochrane (obesidad AND índice de masa corporal AND caries AND niños OR adolescentes). Resultados: Se identificaron 115 artículos y fueron incluidos 28 luego del análisis a texto completo (21 estudios transversales, 4 longitudinales, 3 revisiones sistemáticas). Cuatro estudios transversales y uno longitudinal mostraron asociación entre obesidad y presencia de caries. Conclusiones: Los estudios analizados sobre asociación entre obesidad y caries presentan resultados inconsistentes. El origen multifactorial de las patologías analizadas puede contribuir a rechazar la hipótesis de asociación de ambas patologías a partir del consumo excesivo de carbohidratos y azúcares fermentables