Un modelo simplificado de la influencia de sedimentos porosos saturados en la respuesta sísmica de presas

XIV Congreso nacional de Ingeniería Mecánica, celebrado en Leganés en 2000La influencia de los sedimentos de fondo en la respuesta sísmica de presas es bien conocida a pa11ir de los modelos numéricos desarrollados en los últimos años. Esta influencia depende fundamentalmente de las propiedades del sedimento y de la flexibilidad ele la base del embalse, y se traduce principalmente en la absorción de parte ele la energía de las ondas que se producen en el embalse durante un terremoto. En dichos modelos se considera el sedimento como un material poroelástico saturado o cuasi-saturado. obtenirndo una representación rigurosa de su comportamiento. aunque con importantes limitaciones desde el punto de vista numérico: complicada implementación. alto número de variables por nodo. así como la necesidad de una discretización con un elevado número de elementos. con el consiguiente coste de modelización y tiempo de cálculo. Para reducir estos inconvenientes. se propone un modelo simplificado para el sedimenro. consistente en un medio monofásico. con unas propiedades tales que represente adecuadamente el compo11amiento del medio poroelástico. Se describen diferentes modelos, en los que la principal variable es la velocidad de propagación de las ondas en el medio monofásico. obteniéndose para ellos un grado diferente de aproximación al modelo riguroso. lo que permite proponer la adopción del más adecuado. Se calculan n:sultados para una geometría simple de presa, con diferentes espesores de sedimentos de fondo y diferentes hipótesis de flexibilidad del fondo del embalse, teniendo en cuenta tanto el caso de sedimento saturado como el cuasi-saturado

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Mar Menor: una laguna singular y sensible. Evaluación científica de su estado.

Este libro recopila las aportaciones que equipos de investigación de la Universidad de Murcia, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Instituto Geológico-Minero de España, Universidad de Alicante, el Instituto Español de Oceanografía y otros organismos hicieron en las Jornadas Científicas del Mar Menor, celebradas en diciembre de 2014.La información recogida en este libro se estructura en dos grandes bloques, uno de Biología y Ecología del Mar Menor (capítulos 1 al 8) y otro de Condiciones fisicoquímicas e impacto de actividades humanas en la laguna (capítulos 9 al 14). El primer bloque resume buena parte de los estudios ecológicos realizados en el Mar Menor, que han servido para mejorar su conocimiento y también para cambiar antiguas asunciones sobre la naturaleza y el funcionamiento de estos ecosistemas lagunares (Capítulo 1). El segundo capítulo muestra que esta laguna alberga en zonas someras de su perímetro hábitats fundamentales para mantener y conservar tanto especies migratorias como residentes, que es necesario conocer para paliar el impacto de las actividades humanas que les afectan. En este sentido la reducción de la carga de nutrientes y contaminantes orgánicos e inorgánicos que fluyen hacia el Mar Menor puede ayudar a preservar la laguna en mejores condiciones, bien sea tratando las escorrentías (plantas de tratamiento, humedales artificiales u otras técnicas) y recuperar este agua para uso agrícola o evitar su descarga en la laguna (Capítulo 3). Estas actuaciones serán clave para la conservación de especies emblemáticas como el caballito de mar (Capítulo 4) y reducir el impacto de las proliferaciones masivas de medusas que se producen en la laguna desde 1993 (Capítulo 5). En este mismo sentido los cambios acaecidos en la laguna han favorecido la incursión de invertebrados marinos alóctonos (Capítulo 6) y han afectado a la respuesta de la dinámica poblacional de las aves acuáticas a distintas escalas (Capítulo 7). Para completar este bloque se ofrece una perspectiva histórica de la importancia que ha tenido la investigación sobre acuicultura realizada en esta laguna, que ha servido de base para su gran desarrollo actual (Capítulo 8). El segundo bloque se inicia con una evaluación del origen y evolución del Mar Menor desde el punto de vista geológico, y evidencia su vulnerabilidad ante el deterioro que puede sufrir la desaparición de la barrera de cierre y/o su colmatación (Capítulo 9). En el Capítulo 10 se describe la relevancia que tiene la interacción de los acuíferos del Campo de Cartagena con la laguna, que se produce no sólo a nivel superficial sino también subterráneo. Esta interacción permite el acceso de nutrientes a la laguna, a pesar de la cierta capacidad de depuración de los humedales que le circundan, y también de metales traza por los aportes de residuos mineros (Capítulo 11). De hecho los metales traza están presentes en los sedimentos de la laguna, y su distribución se ha caracterizado en la columna sedimentaria relacionándola con la granulometría y el contenido de materia orgánica del sedimento (Capítulo 12). Posteriormente se describe la entrada de diversos contaminantes orgánicos, incluyendo pesticidas y fármacos a través de la rambla del Albujón, y su distribución estacional en agua y sedimento de la laguna (Capítulo 13). Este segundo bloque finaliza con el Capítulo 14 en el que se describe la bioacumulación de hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos, pesticidas y fármacos en moluscos y peces del Mar Menor, así como los efectos biológicos que la carga contaminante que accede a través de la rambla del Albujón produce en los organismos que allí habitan. El libro concluye con un breve epílogo redactado por los editores de este libro.Versión del edito

Dietary α‐Linolenic Acid, Marine ω‐3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotective role of α‐linolenic acid (ALA), a plant‐derived ω‐3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALA is beneficial in a background of high marine ω‐3 fatty acids (long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA (0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all‐cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society's recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (≥500 mg/day). Methods and Results: We longitudinally evaluated 7202 participants in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios. ALA intake correlated to walnut consumption (r=0.94). During a 5.9‐y follow‐up, 431 deaths occurred (104 cardiovascular disease, 55 coronary heart disease, 32 sudden cardiac death, 25 stroke). The hazard ratios for meeting ALA recommendation (n=1615, 22.4%) were 0.72 (95% CI 0.56–0.92) for all‐cause mortality and 0.95 (95% CI 0.58–1.57) for fatal cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios for meeting the recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n=5452, 75.7%) were 0.84 (95% CI 0.67–1.05) for all‐cause mortality, 0.61 (95% CI 0.39–0.96) for fatal cardiovascular disease, 0.54 (95% CI 0.29–0.99) for fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.49 (95% CI 0.22–1.01) for sudden cardiac death. The highest reduction in all‐cause mortality occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.45–0.87]). Conclusions: In participants without prior cardiovascular disease and high fish consumption, dietary ALA, supplied mainly by walnuts and olive oil, relates inversely to all‐cause mortality, whereas protection from cardiac mortality is limited to fish‐derived long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.Controlled-trials.com/. Unique identifier: ISRCTN35739639

International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Characterization of the potential mercury contamination in the Apolobamba gold mining area, Bolivia

A large amount of Hg is used for gold extraction through the amalgamation process in the Apolobamba gold mining area located in the northwest part of La Paz, Bolivia. !is mining operation may produce a very serious impact on the ecosystems, as well as on the health of miners and inhabitants, mainly due to the primitive methods used in the gold recovery. !e objective of this work was to characterize the potential contamination of total Hg in soils, sediments, water, and plants in a mining area of Bolivia. Results showed that there was atmospheric deposition of Hg in the study area. Accumulation of this metal in the studied soils and sediments was one of the highest in the world, but Hg in aquatic solution was below the detection limit of the analytical method of the studied lakes and rivers. !e highest concentration of Hg was found in the river sediments of the Sunchullí- Viscachani (102 mg kg-1), and in the sediments of Sunchullí and Viscachani lakes (12.3 and 11.7 mg kg-1, respectively). !ese concentrations may pose a serious problem for aquatic life, related ecosystems and human health. !erefore, there is a need to study Hg availability and speciation in soils and sediments to better understand the cycling of Hg in the area.Una gran cantidad de Hg se utiliza para la extracción de oro mediante el proceso de amalgamación en la zona minera de Apolobamba, localizada al noroeste de La Paz, Bolivia. Este tipo de actividad puede estar generando un impacto muy grave tanto para los ecosistemas, como para la salud de los mineros y habitantes de la zona, principalmente debido a los métodos poco tecni!cados utilizados en la recuperación del oro. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar la contaminación potencial que supone la presencia de Hg total en suelos, sedimentos, agua y plantas. Los resultados mostraron que existía una deposición atmosférica activa de Hg. La acumulación de este metal en los suelos y sedimentos estudiados fue una de las más altas a nivel mundial; sin embargo, el Hg en la solución acuosa estuvo debajo del limite de detección del método analítico utilizado en los lagos y ríos estudiados. La mayor concentración de Hg se encontró en los sedimentos del Río Sunchullí-Viscachani (102 mg kg-1) y en los sedimentos de los lagos Sunchullí y Viscachani (12,3 y 11,7 mg kg-1, respectivamente). Estas concentraciones pueden suponer un grave problema para los animales acuáticos, los ecosistemas asociados y la salud humana. Por lo tanto, existe una urgente necesidad de estudiar la biodisponibilidad y la especiación del Hg en suelos y sedimentos para comprender mejor el ciclo del Hg en esta área

Catalytic performance of CoMoW Sulfide catalysts supported on hierarchically structured porous silicas for HDS reactions

In this work, monolithic silica materials with hierarchical porosity were synthesized by the sol-gel method combined with a dual hard-soft templating route. Silica materials were used for the synthesis of hydrodesulfurization CoMoW-S catalysts by the immersion technique using transition metal salts as precursors, followed by oxidation and sulfidation in H2S/H2 mixture. Styrene-HEMA copolymer hard template presented homogeneous well-defined spherical shape with an average diameter of about 800 nm. Samples prepared over the hard template presented similar morphology. The surface areas of all supports prepared resulted in around 800 m2.g−1 and decreased to 220 m2.g−1 on average after the sulfidation process. Small-angle X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of the 2D hexagonal or Im3m array of mesopores in all samples. The CoMoW oxide state catalysts presented low intensity peaks assigned to the b-CoMo(W)O4 phase and minor peaks related to MoO3 and polyoxides with the general formula MoxW1-xO3. The high conversion was obtained for catalysts supported on hierarchically structured porous silicas, even greater than that of the commercial catalyst used as reference (>30–50%). XPS results revealed that the degree of sulfidation and CoMoWS active species resulted higher in the CoMoW-HOPSCM catalyst compared to the CoMoW-MoNoSBA-15 sample, which in turn coincides with the catalytic activity results

Differentiation of polymorphs by Ionoluminescence

Polymorph minerals are natural materials that share the same composition but have a different structure. Traditionally, the characterization of polymorphs has been done using different techniques of microscopy, X-ray diffraction Raman or IR Spectroscopy for instance. In this work we propose the use of a new technique as an alternative to characterise polymorphs: Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (IBIL). As an advantage to the other techniques, IBIL can be carried out simultaneously with the PIXE technique or other Ion Beam Analysis techniques and the combination will yield results on elemental composition and luminescence properties at the same time. Different minerals have been analysed with IBIL as an example of application to the characterization of polymorphs and its correspondent spectra are explained in this paper