Mejora del comportamiento dinámico de puentes de ferrocarril mediante reaccionamiento con amortiguadores fluido-viscosos

This research work is devoted to the problem of excessive vertical vibrations that short to medium-span railway bridges may experiment due to resonance phenomena. A new alternative based on externally increasing the overall damping of the structure by retrofitting the deck with fluid-viscous dampers is proposed in order to reduce detrimental levels of transverse acceleration to admissible ones. This solution could substitute a classical strengthening process or even the complete demolition and replacement of the deck in existing structures under new traffic requirements such as an increase in the speed of the line. A particular configuration of the retrofitting system is proposed which allows the transformation of the vertical oscillations that the deck experiments under the circulation of the railway vehicles into elongation rates of the devices, leading to energy dissipation and the subsequent reduction of the super-structure resonant response. The proposed system could be installed in the original structure and maintained without interfering with everyday traffic

Multiregional Satellite Precipitation Products Evaluation over Complex Terrain

An extensive evaluation of nine global-scale high-resolution satellite-based rainfall (SBR) products is performed using a minimum of 6 years (within the period of 2000-13) of reference rainfall data derived from rain gauge networks in nine mountainous regions across the globe. The SBR products are compared to a recently released global reanalysis dataset from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The study areas include the eastern Italian Alps, the Swiss Alps, the western Black Sea of Turkey, the French Cévennes, the Peruvian Andes, the Colombian Andes, the Himalayas over Nepal, the Blue Nile in East Africa, Taiwan, and the U.S. Rocky Mountains. Evaluation is performed at annual, monthly, and daily time scales and 0.25° spatial resolution. The SBR datasets are based on the following retrieval algorithms: Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA), the NOAA/Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH), Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN), and Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP). SBR products are categorized into those that include gauge adjustment versus unadjusted. Results show that performance of SBR is highly dependent on the rainfall variability. Many SBR products usually underestimate wet season and overestimate dry season precipitation. The performance of gauge adjustment to the SBR products varies by region and depends greatly on the representativeness of the rain gauge network

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Disease in Children: National Multicentre Study 2010-2014

Introdução: Uma parceria Sociedade de Infecciologia Pediátrica / Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge propôs-se avaliar a epidemiologia, fatores de risco, clínica, serotipos e suscetibilidade aos antibióticos da doença invasiva a Haemphilus influenzae nas crianças, em Portugal. Métodos: Estudo prospetivo descritivo multicêntrico, entre 1 de janeiro de 2010 e 30 de junho de 2014 (54 meses). Cada estirpe foi enviada ao Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge acompanhada de inquérito clínico. Foi pesquisada produção de β-lactamase, resistência antibiótica, cápsula e serotipo. Resultados: Foram analisadas 38 estirpes (18 hospitais) isoladas em hemocultura (34), liquor (três) e líquido articular (uma). A incidência global foi 0,45/100000. Identificaram-se 25 (65,7%) Haemophilus influenzae não-capsulados, nove (23,7%) serotipo b (seis falências vacinais), duas (5,3%) serotipo a e duas (5,3%) serotipo f. As idades variaram entre 1 mês e 15 anos (lactentes 44,7%; 5 anos ou mais 26,3%); 23,7% tinham patologia prévia. As apresentações clínicas foram pneumonia (13), meningite (cinco), bacteriemia (cinco), infeção respiratória alta (quatro), bronquiolite (três) sépsis sem foco (três), artrite (duas), celulite periorbitária (uma), celulite (uma), epiglotite (uma). A meningite foi manifestação de 33,3% das infeções por serotipo b e de 4% das devidas a Haemophilus influenzae não-capsulados (p < 0,05). As infeções respiratórias altas bacteriémicas predominaram acima dos 5 anos (30% vs 3,6%; p < 0,05). Registaram-se sequelas neurológicas num caso (2,6%) e um óbito (2,6%). Verificou-se produção de β-lactamase em 7,9% e resistência à cefuroxima em 18,4%. Sem resistências a amoxicilina / clavulanato, cefotaxima, rifampicina. Discussão: A doença invasiva por Haemophilus influenzae atingiu diferentes grupos etários, predominando nos lactentes. As estirpes mais prevalentes foram de Haemophilus influenzae não-capsulados, causando maioritariamente bacteriemia e manifestações respiratórias. O serotipo b manteve-se em circulação sendo responsável por dois casos / ano

Spatial and temporal genomic homogeneity among Haemophilus influenzae serotype f

Background: Haemophilus influenzae is an opportunistic pathogen highly adapted to the human respiratory tract which is often reported as the etiologic agent of infectious diseases. After the introduction of serotype b vaccine, non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) has become the most frequent cause of respiratory infection, followed in frequency by serotype f strains (Hif). The aim of this study was to analyze the genomic diversity among invasive and colonizing Hif isolates by whole genome sequencing (WGS).N/

Comparative pangenome analysis of capsulated Haemophilus influenzae serotype f highlights their high genomic stability

Haemophilus influenzae is an opportunistic pathogen adapted to the human respiratory tract. Non-typeable H. influenzae are highly heterogeneous, but few studies have analysed the genomic variability of capsulated strains. This study aims to examine the genetic diversity of 37 serotype f isolates from the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, and to compare all capsulated genomes available on public databases. Serotype f isolates belonged to CC124 and shared few single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (n = 10,999), but a high core genome (> 80%). Three main clades were identified by the presence of 75, 60 and 41 exclusive genes for each clade, respectively. Multi-locus sequence type analysis of all capsulated genomes revealed a reduced number of clonal complexes associated with each serotype. Pangenome analysis showed a large pool of genes (n = 6360), many of which were accessory genome (n = 5323). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that serotypes a, b, and f had greater diversity. The total number of SNPs in serotype f was significantly lower than in serotypes a, b, and e (p < 0.0001), indicating low variability within the serotype f clonal complexes. Capsulated H. influenzae are genetically homogeneous, with few lineages in each serotype. Serotype f has high genetic stability regardless of time and country of isolation

Health-related quality of life in spanish women with eating disorders

People with eating disorders show impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to investigate the relative role of physical and mental factors and stage of change as possible predictors of HRQoL in a group of Spanish women (n = 124) with eating disorders. For this purpose, initial and follow-up data were obtained after 6 months from patients attending an outpatient treatment unit for eating disorders. The determinants of the physical and mental domains of the Medical Outcomes Survey Short-form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire were investigated in the total sample and separately based on the eating disorder diagnosis by multiple linear regression. Lower scores in the physical component of the SF-36 questionnaire were associated with the presence of a higher body mass index (BMI) at follow-up as well as a higher score in the “action” component of the Attitudes towards Change in Eating Disorders Questionnaire (ACTA). Conversely, a higher index in the EuroQoL-5D overall quality of life questionnaire (EQ-5D) and the presence of obsessive compulsive disorder were associated with a higher score in the physical dimension. The instrument used demonstrated the ability to assess changes associated with the physical component of these patients over the period studied, and the analysis provided more information and specific data on different aspects of HRQoL, thus allowing a more detailed analysis of the information.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment of present and future water security under anthropogenic and climate changes using WEAP model in the Vilcanota-Urubamba catchment, Cusco, Perú

Water is an essential resource for social and economic development. The availability of this resource is constantly threatened by the rapid increase in its demand. This research assesses current (2010–2016), short- (2017–2040), middle- (2041–2070), and long-term (2071–2099) levels of water security considering socio-economic and climate change scenarios using the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) in Vilcanota-Urubamba (VUB) catchment. The streamflow data of the Pisac hydrometric station were used to calibrate (1987–2006) and validate (2007–2016) the WEAP Model applied to the VUB region. The Nash Sutcliffe efficiency values were 0.60 and 0.84 for calibration and validation, respectively. Different scenarios were generated for socio-economic factors (population growth and increased irrigation efficiency) and the impact of climate change to evaluate their effect on the current water supply system. The results reveal that water availability is much higher than the current demand in the VUB for the period (2010–2016). For short-, middle- and long term, two scenarios were considered, “Scenario 1” (RCP 4.5) and “Scenario 2” (RCP 8.5). Climate change scenarios show that water availability will increase. However, this increase will not cover the future demands in all the sub-basins because water availability is not evenly distributed in all of the VUB. In both scenarios, an unmet demand was detected from 2050. For the period 2071–2099, an unmet demand of 477 hm3/year for “Scenario 1” and 446 hm3/year for “Scenario 2” were estimated. Because population and agricultural demands are the highest, the effects of reducing the growth rate and improving the irrigation structure were simulated. Therefore, two more scenarios were generated “Scenario 3” (RCP 4.5 with management) and “Scenario 4” (RCP 8.5 with management). This socio-economic management proved to be effective in reducing the unmet demand up to 50% in all sub-basins for the period 2071–2099

Towards implementing climate services in Peru – The project CLIMANDES

AbstractCLIMANDES is a pilot twinning project between the National Weather Services of Peru and Switzerland (SENAMHI and MeteoSwiss), developed within the Global Framework for Climate Services of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Split in two modules, CLIMANDES aims at improving education in meteorology and climatology in support of the WMO Regional Training Center in Peru, and introducing user-tailored climate services in two pilot regions in the Peruvian Andes.Four areas were prioritized in the first phase of CLIMANDES lasting from 2012 to 2015 to introduce climate services in Peru. A demand study identified the user needs of climate services and showed that climate information must be reliable, of high-quality, and precise. The information should be accessible and timely, understandable and applicable for the users’ specific needs. Second, the quality of climate data was enhanced through the establishment of quality control and homogenization procedures at SENAMHI. Specific training and application of the implemented methods at stations in the pilot regions was promoted to ensure the sustainability of the work. Third, the specific work on climate data enabled the creation of a webpage to disseminate climate indicators among users. The forth priority of the project enhanced the broad communication strategy of SENAMHI through creation of a specialized network of journalists, diverse climate forums, and the establishment of a user database.The efforts accomplished within CLIMANDES improved the quality of the climate services provided by SENAMHI. The project hence contributed successfully to higher awareness and higher confidence in the climate information by SENAMHI