Human and ecotoxicological impacts assessment from the Mexican oil industry in the Coatzacoalcos region, as revealed by the USEtox™ model

Human and ecotoxicological impacts were analyzed in the lower basin of the Coatzacoalcos River (Veracruz, State in Mexico). High pollution levels of contaminants from the oil industry have been reported in natural streams and the Coatzacoalcos River and in their sediments. USEtox™ model was employed to evaluate environmental fate, exposure, and effect of nine organic compounds (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and one of which was in the group of polychlorinated biphenyls), a heavy metal (lead), and the effect of the industrial wastewater emitted into the river, on the Coatzacoalcos region. Most of these compounds are highly toxic; they bioaccumulate in human and animal tissue, mainly in the fatty tissues and can damage different organs and systemic targets such as the liver, kidney, hormonal system, nervous system, etc., of both humans and wildlife. The model estimates that 96 % (3,247 kg/day) of organic compounds is transferred from the water into air, whereas only 4 % (151 kg/day) remains in the water. In addition, it predicts that humans are mainly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners (28 and 153) by eating contaminated fish, due to PCBs accumulating in the fish fat tissue. The number of cases of cancer and noncancer (1 in 862 habitants per additional kilogram) is expected to have an increment due to the higher PCBs exposure of human population. Genetic damages in fishes, earthworms, and toads have been observed and related to higher exposure to organic compounds. The relationship between the field reported data and those one predicted by the USEtox™ model have been confirmed empirically by using the nonparametric correlation analysis (Spearman's rho). Based on the USEtox model, the environmental stress in the Coatzacoalcos industrial zone is between 2 and 6 orders of magnitude over geometric mean of acute aquatic EC50s. We think that USEtox model can be used to expand the number of substances that have the current water quality guidelines to improve the watermanagement inMexico

Fuzzy PD+I Embedded Control System for a Multi-Phase DC-DC Bidirectional Converter

[EN] In this work is presented the design of a Fuzzy PD+I control system applied to the voltage control of a multi-phase DC-DC power electronic converter. The fuzzy controller has two inputs. The first input, named Error, is the difference between the desired voltage value in the output of the converter and the measured voltage at this particular point; the second input is defined by the changes in the measured voltage of the converter. The control system is embedded in the NI myRIO-1900 development kit, using LabVIEW as programming software employing the embedded system for experimental tests with a prototype of the converter. This control system allows the stabilization of the converter in the buck and boost operation modes, showing an appropriate behavior at the startup and under resistive load changes, presenting acceptable times for DC microgrids future applications while connecting the DC bus with supercapacitors or a battery bank.[ES] En este trabajo se presenta el diseño de un sistema de control difuso PD+I embebido aplicado en el control de voltaje de un convertidor electrónico de potencia bidireccional multi-fase CD-CD. El controlador difuso cuenta con dos entradas, la primera se le denomina Error y es la diferencia entre el valor de voltaje deseado en la salida del convertidor y el voltaje medido en la salida del mismo; la segunda entrada es definida por las variaciones en el voltaje medido. La salida del controlador difuso define las variaciones en el ciclo de trabajo de los interruptores de potencia que controlan el convertidor. El sistema de control difuso se embebió en la tarjeta de desarrollo NI myRIO-1900 utilizando como software de programación LabVIEW, empleando el sistema embebido para realizar pruebas experimentales con el prototipo del convertidor. Con este sistema de control de voltaje se logra estabilizar el convertidor en los modos de operación reductor y elevador, demostrando un adecuado comportamiento del convertidor en el arranque y ante cambios de carga resistiva, manteniendo tiempos aceptables para aplicaciones futuras en micro-redes de CD conectando el bus de CD con un banco de super-capacitores o un banco de baterías.Martínez Nolasco, JJ.; Rodríguez, E.; Rodríguez, H.; Morfin, J.; Padilla, A. (2018). Fuzzy PD+I Embedded Control System for a Multi-Phase DC-DC Bidirectional Converter. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 15(4):457-466. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2018.8721OJS457466154Baek J. B., Choi, W. I., Cho, B. H., 2013. Digital adaptive frequency modulation for bidirectional DC-DC converter. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 60(11), 5167-5176. DOI: 10.1109/TIE.2012.2224075Bolognani S., Morandin M., Calligaro S., Petrella R., Pevere A., 2014. Bidirectional PMSM drive employing a three level ANPC inverter and a multi-phase interleaved DC/DC converter for hybrid electric vehicles. Twenty-Ninth Annual IEEE in Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), IEEE, 818-825. DOI: 10.1109/APEC.2014.6803402Brox M., Sánchez S., del Toro E., Brox P., Moreno F. J., 2013. CAD tools for hardware implementation of embedded fuzzy systems on FPGAs. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 9(3), 1635-1644. DOI: 10.1109/TII.2012.2228871Burrett R., Clini C., Dixon R., Eckhart M., El-Ashry M., Gupta D., Houssin D., 2009. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century.Dusmez S., Hasanzadeh A., Khaligh A., 2015. Comparative analysis of bidirectional three-level DC-DC converter for automotive applications. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 62(5), 3305-3315. DOI: 10.1109/TIE.2014.2336605Hart D., 2011. Power Electronics, 1ra ed., McGraw-Hill, New York. 198-220.Hegazy O., Van Mierlo J., Lataire P., 2011. Design and control of bidirectional DC/AC and DC/DC converters for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. International Conference in Power Engineering, Energy and Electrical Drives (POWERENG), IEEE, 1-7. DOI: 10.1109/PowerEng.2011.6036530Hossain M. I., Khan S. A., Shafiullah M., Hossain M. J. 2011. Design and implementation of MPPT controlled grid connected photovoltaic system. Symposium in Computers & Informatics (ISCI), IEEE, 284-289. DOI: 10.1109/ISCI.2011.5958928Khan S. A., Hossain M. I., 2010. Design and implementation of microcontroller based fuzzy logic control for maximum power point tracking of a photovoltaic system. International Conference in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ICECE), IEEE, 322-325. DOI: 10.1109/ICELCE.2010.5700693Kumar A., Gaur P., 2014. Bidirectional DC/DC converter for hybrid electric vehicle. International Conference in Advances in Computing, Communications and Informatics (ICACCI), IEEE, 839-843. DOI: 10.1109/ICACCI.2014.6968295Lee S. Y., Pfaelzer A. G., van Wyk, J. D., 2004. Thermal analysis for improved packaging of 4-channel 42 V/14 V DC/DC converter. 39th IAS Annual Meeting in Industry Applications Conference Vol. 4, IEEE, 2330-2336. DOI: 10.1109/IAS.2004.1348800Lee S. Y., Pfaelzer A. G., van Wyk J. D., 2007. Comparison of different designs of a 42-V/14-V dc/dc converter regarding losses and thermal aspects. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 43(2), 520-530. DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2006.889808Liu D., Hu A., Wang G., Hu W., 2010. Current sharing schemes for multiphase interleaved DC/DC converter with FPGA implementation. International Conference in Electrical and Control Engineering (ICECE), IEEE, 3512-3515. DOI: 10.1109/iCECE.2010.854Markvart T., 2006. Microgrids: Power systems for the 21st century. Refocus, 7(4), 44-48.Martínez, J. J., Padilla-Medina, J. A., Cano-Andrade, S., Sancen, A., Prado, J., & Barranco, A. I. (2018). Development and Application of a Fuzzy Control System for a Lead-Acid Battery Bank Connected to a DC Microgrid. International Journal of Photoenergy, 2018.Omara A. M., Sleptsov M. A., 2016. Comparative study of different electric propulsion system configurations based on IPMSM drive for battery electric vehicles. International Conference in Electrical Machines and Systems (ICEMS), IEEE, 1-6.Sánchez S., Cabrera A., Baturone M. I., Moreno F. J., Brox M., 2007. FPGA implementation of embedded fuzzy controllers for robotic applications. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 54(4), 1937-1945. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TIE.2007.898292Santos M., 2011. Un enfoque aplicado del control inteligente. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática Industrial RIAI, 8(4), 283-296. DOI: 10.1016/j.riai.2011.09.016Sikkabut S., Mungporn P., Ekkaravarodome C., Bizon N., Tricoli P., Nahid-Mobarakeh B., Thounthong P., 2016. Control of High-Energy High-Power Densities Storage Devices by Li-ion Battery and Supercapacitor for Fuel Cell/Photovoltaic Hybrid Power Plant for Autonomous System Applications. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 52(5), 4395-4407. DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2016.2581138Thao N. G. M., Dat M. T., Binh T. C., Phuc N. H., 2010. PID-fuzzy logic hybrid controller for grid-connected photovoltaic inverters. International Forum in Strategic Technology (IFOST), IEEE, 140-144. DOI: 10.1109/IFOST.2010.5668024Vanti V. M., Leite L. C., Batista E. A., 2015. Monitoring and control of the processes involved in the capture and filtering of biogas using FPGA embedded fuzzy logic. IEEE Latin America Transactions, 13(7), 2232-2238. DOI: 10.1109/TLA.2015.7273782Yang Y., Li T., Liu J., Li H., 2012. A comprehensive analysis of coupled inductors in 4 phases interleaving bidirectional DC/DC converter. International Symposium in Power Electronics for Distributed Generation Systems (PEDG), IEEE, 603-607. DOI: 10.1109/PEDG.2012.6254064Yang Y., Ma J., Ma Y., Zou Y., 2014. The universal design criterion of coupled inductor in multiphase interleaving and magnetically integrated bidirectional DC/DC converter. Conference and Exposition International in Power Electronics and Application, IEEE, 1008-1013. DOI: 10.1109/PEAC.2014.7037998Yang Y., Dai S., 2015. Design criterion for asymmetric coupled inductors in interleaving & magnetically integrated bidirectional DC/DC converter. 2nd Conference International in Future Energy Electronics, IEEE, 1-11. DOI: 10.1109/IFEEC.2015.7361443Yu, B. (2016). Design and experimental results of battery charging system for microgrid system. International Journal of Photoenergy, 2016

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in amenable mortality in urban areas of Spanish cities, 1996-2007

Background: While research continues into indicators such as preventable and amenable mortality in order to evaluate quality, access, and equity in the healthcare, it is also necessary to continue identifying the areas of greatest risk owing to these causes of death in urban areas of large cities, where a large part of the population is concentrated, in order to carry out specific actions and reduce inequalities in mortality. This study describes inequalities in amenable mortality in relation to socioeconomic status in small urban areas, and analyses their evolution over the course of the periods 1996–99, 2000–2003 and 2004–2007 in three major cities in the Spanish Mediterranean coast (Alicante, Castellón, and Valencia). Methods: All deaths attributed to amenable causes were analysed among non-institutionalised residents in the three cities studied over the course of the study periods. Census tracts for the cities were grouped into 3 socioeconomic status levels, from higher to lower levels of deprivation, using 5 indicators obtained from the 2001 Spanish Population Census. For each city, the relative risks of death were estimated between socioeconomic status levels using Poisson’s Regression models, adjusted for age and study period, and distinguishing between genders. Results: Amenable mortality contributes significantly to general mortality (around 10%, higher among men), having decreased over time in the three cities studied for men and women. In the three cities studied, with a high degree of consistency, it has been seen that the risks of mortality are greater in areas of higher deprivation, and that these excesses have not significantly modified over time. Conclusions: Although amenable mortality decreases over the time period studied, the socioeconomic inequalities observed are maintained in the three cities. Areas have been identified that display excesses in amenable mortality, potentially attributable to differences in the healthcare system, associated with areas of greater deprivation. Action must be taken in these areas of greater inequality in order to reduce the health inequalities detected. The causes behind socioeconomic inequalities in amenable mortality must be studied in depth.This work was partly supported by the FIS-FEDER projects PI040170 and PI080330

Impact of the 'Seguro Médico Siglo XXI'medical insurance programme on neonatal and infant mortality in Mexico, 2006-14: an ecological approach to estimation

The ‘Seguro Medico Siglo XXI’ (SMSXXI), a universal coveragemedical insurance programme for children under 5 years of age, started in 2006 to help avoid catastrophic health expenditures in poor families without social security in Mexico. The study used information from the National Health Information System for the 2006–14 period. An ecological approach was followed with a panel of the 2457 municipalities of Mexico as the units of analysis. The outcome variables were the municipality-level neonatal mortality and infant mortality rates in population without access to social security. The programme variable was the coverage of the SMSXXI programme at the municipality level, expressed as a proportion. Demographic and economic variables defined at the municipality level were included as covariates. Impact was estimated by fitting a fixed-effects negative binomial regression model. Results reveal that the SMSXXI significantly reduced both infant and neonatSal mortality in the target population, although in a non-linear fashion, with minimum mortality levels found around the 70% coverage range. The effect is mostly given by the transition from the first quintile to the fourth quintile of coverage (<13% vs 70.5–93.7% coverage), and it is attenuated significantly at coverage levels very close to or at 100%. The observed risk reduction amounted to an estimated total of 11 358 infant deaths being avoided due to the SMSXXI during the 2006–14 period, of which 48% were neonatal. In conclusion, we found a significant impact of the SMSXXI programme on both infant mortality and neonatal mortality. An attenuation of the effect of the insurance on mortality rates at levels close to 100% coverage may reflect the saturation of health units in detriment of the quality of care

Anàlisi espacial de la mortalitat a la Comunitat Valenciana

L’anàlisi espacial pot contemplar-se, en el context epidemiològic, com una ferramenta per a l’estudi de la distribució geogràfica d’un determinat problema de salut. Els estudis geogràfics sobre resultats en salut de la població són importants perquè poden contribuir a detectar diferències entre distintes regions, a establir patrons de distribució al llarg de la geografia d’un determinat territori o a localitzar unitats geogràfiques en situació de risc extrem o altres resultats d’interés

Hacia un modelo genérico de aplicaciones paralelas

En este trabajo se presenta el proceso de reformulación del modelo preliminar plasmado en CluSim. Estudios realizados sobre un conjunto de aplicaciones master/worker condujeron a la caracterización de los patrones de cómputo y comunicación asociados a programas paralelos. Para la contrastación del nuevo modelo se utilizó una aplicación distinta del conjunto usado para la caracterización. Los satisfactorios resultados obtenidos, permiten concluir que el proceso de modelado utilizado es adecuado generar a posteriori un modelo genérico de aplicaciones paralelas.Eje: Workshop Procesamiento distribuido y paralelo (WPDP)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Yield, sensory and proximate analysis of Dormitator latifrons fillets prepared with different cooking methods

Objective: To evaluate the effect of four cooking methods (steaming, griddling, baking or pan-frying) on the carcass and fillet yield and on the degree of sensory acceptance and proximate composition of fillets from Dormitator latifrons. Design/methods/approach: Whole and gutted fish, and the fillets cut from them, were weighed to determine yield. The fillets were cooked by steaming, griddling, baking or pan-frying according local traditional methods. The organoleptic characteristics (color, odor, general appearance, taste, texture, and juiciness) were evaluated using a 5-point hedonic scale. The proximate analysis was done on raw and cooked fish samples. Results: The average weight of the fish was 446.0 ± 63.4 g, with a carcass yield of 83.0% and a fillet yield of 18.7%. The organoleptic characteristics did not show significant differences, with all treatments obtaining average scores above 4 (like) in the hedonic scale. Regarding the proximate composition, the protein and ash content of the fish fillets increased with most of the cooking methods. The highest lipid content was obtained with the frying method. Limitations/implications: The evaluation of nutritional quality was done at the proximate level only¸ since it was considered that the protein nutritional quality (fillet protein), would not be modified substantially. Findings/conclusions: All four cooking methods were associated with a high level of acceptance and good nutritional quality, although the increase in lipid content of fried fish could have a detrimental effect on consumer health, in the case of a high level of consumption. Keywords: Pacific fat sleeper; nutritional quality; heat treatment.Objective: To evaluate the effect of four cooking methods (steaming, griddling, baking, or pan-frying) on the carcass and fillet yield and on the degree of sensory acceptance and proximate composition of fillets from Dormitator latifrons. Design/methods/approach: Whole and gutted fish, and the fillets cut from them, were weighed to determine yield. The fillets were cooked by steaming, griddling, baking, or pan-frying according to local traditional methods. The organoleptic characteristics (color, odor, general appearance, taste, texture, and juiciness) were evaluated using a 5-point hedonic scale. The proximate analysis was done on raw and cooked fish samples. Results: The average weight of the fish was 446.0 ±63.4 g, with a carcass yield of 83.0% and a fillet yield of 18.7%. The organoleptic characteristics did not show significant differences, with all treatments obtaining average scores above 4 (like) in the hedonic scale. Regarding the proximate composition, the protein and ash content of the fish fillets increased with most of the cooking methods. The highest lipid content was obtained with the frying method. Limitations/implications: The evaluation of nutritional quality was done at the proximate level only¸ since it was considered that the protein nutritional quality (fillet protein), would not be modified substantially. Findings/conclusions: All four cooking methods were associated with a high level of acceptance and good nutritional quality, although the increase in lipid content of fried fish could have a detrimental effect on consumer health, in the case of a high level of consumption

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in small areas of 33 Spanish cities

Background: In Spain, several ecological studies have analyzed trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality from all causes in urban areas over time. However, the results of these studies are quite heterogeneous finding, in general, that inequalities decreased, or remained stable. Therefore, the objectives of this study are: (1) to identify trends in geographical inequalities in all-cause mortality in the census tracts of 33 Spanish cities between the two periods 1996–1998 and 2005–2007; (2) to analyse trends in the relationship between these geographical inequalities and socioeconomic deprivation; and (3) to obtain an overall measure which summarises the relationship found in each one of the cities and to analyse its variation over time. Methods: Ecological study of trends with 2 cross-sectional cuts, corresponding to two periods of analysis: 1996–1998 and 2005–2007. Units of analysis were census tracts of the 33 Spanish cities. A deprivation index calculated for each census tracts in all cities was included as a covariate. A Bayesian hierarchical model was used to estimate smoothed Standardized Mortality Ratios (sSMR) by each census tract and period. The geographical distribution of these sSMR was represented using maps of septiles. In addition, two different Bayesian hierarchical models were used to measure the association between all-cause mortality and the deprivation index in each city and period, and by sex: (1) including the association as a fixed effect for each city; (2) including the association as random effects. In both models the data spatial structure can be controlled within each city. The association in each city was measured using relative risks (RR) and their 95 % credible intervals (95 % CI). Results: For most cities and in both sexes, mortality rates decline over time. For women, the mortality and deprivation patterns are similar in the first period, while in the second they are different for most cities. For men, RRs remain stable over time in 29 cities, in 3 diminish and in 1 increase. For women, in 30 cities, a non-significant change over time in RR is observed. However, in 4 cities RR diminishes. In overall terms, inequalities decrease (with a probability of 0.9) in both men (RR = 1.13, 95 % CI = 1.12–1.15 in the 1st period; RR = 1.11, 95 % CI = 1.09–1.13 in the 2nd period) and women (RR = 1.07, 95 % CI = 1.05–1.08 in the 1st period; RR = 1.04, 95 % CI = 1.02–1.06 in the 2nd period). Conclusions: In the future, it is important to conduct further trend studies, allowing to monitoring trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality and to identify (among other things) temporal factors that may influence these inequalities.This article was partially funded by Plan Nacional de I + D + I 2008–2011 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) –Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación- (Award numbers: PI081488, PI081978, PI080367, PI08/1017, PI080330, P08/0142, PI081785, PI080662, PI081713, PI081058, PI081340, PI080803, PI126/08), Fundación Canaria de Investigación Sanitaria FUNCIS 84/07 and by CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)

Cancer mortality inequalities in urban areas: a Bayesian small area analysis in Spanish cities

Background: Intra-urban inequalities in mortality have been infrequently analysed in European contexts. The aim of the present study was to analyse patterns of cancer mortality and their relationship with socioeconomic deprivation in small areas in 11 Spanish cities. Methods: It is a cross-sectional ecological design using mortality data (years 1996-2003). Units of analysis were the census tracts. A deprivation index was calculated for each census tract. In order to control the variability in estimating the risk of dying we used Bayesian models. We present the RR of the census tract with the highest deprivation vs. the census tract with the lowest deprivation. Results: In the case of men, socioeconomic inequalities are observed in total cancer mortality in all cities, except in Castellon, Cordoba and Vigo, while Barcelona (RR = 1.53 95%CI 1.42-1.67), Madrid (RR = 1.57 95%CI 1.49-1.65) and Seville (RR = 1.53 95%CI 1.36-1.74) present the greatest inequalities. In general Barcelona and Madrid, present inequalities for most types of cancer. Among women for total cancer mortality, inequalities have only been found in Barcelona and Zaragoza. The excess number of cancer deaths due to socioeconomic deprivation was 16,413 for men and 1,142 for women. Conclusion: This study has analysed inequalities in cancer mortality in small areas of cities in Spain, not only relating this mortality with socioeconomic deprivation, but also calculating the excess mortality which may be attributed to such deprivation. This knowledge is particularly useful to determine which geographical areas in each city need intersectorial policies in order to promote a healthy environment.This article was partially supported by Fondo de Investigaciones Ssanitarias (FIS) projects numbers PI042013, PI040041, PI040170, PI040069, PI042602 PI040388, PI040489, PI042098 , PI041260, PI040399, PI081488 and by the CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain and by the program of “Intensificación de la Actividad Investigadora (Carme Borrell)” funded by the “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” and “Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya”