LCA-based approach to environmental performance of Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Fluids.

Abstract Screening LCA has been used to gain further insight into the environmental performance of Gambrosol Trio, a fluid used in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) as a form of renal therapy. Gambrosol Trio (Trio) is produced and commercialised by Gambro AB, an international company with headquarters in Stockholm and historic roots in Lund, Sweden. The product's distinctive characteristic is its three-in-one compartment bag that allows a patient to use one of three standard glucose concentrations that form the basis of CAPD. This design has logistics and operational advantages compared to similar products packaged in single or dual compartment bags. This thesis was conducted as a first approach to explore whether or not these advantages extend to the product's environmental performance from a cradle-to-grave perspective. The environmental burden of the product is explored from the production and processing of Trio's components, to the manufacturing of the product itself to disposal of generated waste from its use, including transportation in between these stages of the product cycle. The assessment was made based on the construction of the product map, the material requirements for its production and transport and assigning an “Ecoscore” based on the Ecoindicator 99 method as presented in the Ecoindicator Manual for Designers. Results indicate the majority of the product's environmental burden is located at the production stage of its components with PVC based plastics taking the larger share. A quick exploration of Polypropylene and Polyethylene as substitutes did not indicate potential for improved environmental performance. Caution must be exercised as the effects of Phthalate leaking in land-fills or incomplete combustion in incinerators was not available as Ecoscores. Although this approach is based on Life Cycle Assessment, it does not have the validity that a full application of the method would provide; as such, results can only be used within the organisation as a tool to decide whether or not to continue efforts along this track and cannot be used to communicate claims to stakeholders or as the basis for definitive, company-wide decisions such as material substitution in their products

Quantum simulation and out-of-equilibrium dynamics of quantum gases in optical cavities

Ultracold atomic gases loaded into optical cavities constitute one of the most versatile platforms for the study of out-of-equilibrium dynamics and quantum simulation of many- body systems. In this thesis, we explore these two possibilities, motivated by current state-of-the-art atom-cavity experiments, uncovering novel phenomena and opening up new theoretical and experimental avenues into the intriguing world of quantum many- body physics. First, we study a gas of ultracold atoms coupled to three optical resonators. We show that the inherent Z2 symmetries, associated with each atom-cavity coupling, can be combined into a global SO(3) rotational symmetry which can be spontaneously broken. We determine the phase diagram of the system, which shows the emergence and breaking of the continuous symmetries and displays first- and second-order phase transitions. We argue that by coupling the atoms equally to n different modes, it will in general be possible to generate a global SO(n) symmetry. Second, we investigate the dynamics of a spinor BEC inside an optical cavity. We focus on a two-component Dicke model with complex light-matter couplings, accounting for photon losses. We compute the steady-state phase diagram and find dynamical in- stabilities in the form of limit cycles, heralded by the presence of exceptional points and level attraction. We show that the instabilities are induced by dissipative processes that generate nonreciprocal couplings between the two collective spins. Lastly, we explore the dynamics of a BEC inside an optical cavity in the presence of an optical lattice. We derive an effective master equation by adiabatically eliminating the cavity field. In the bad-cavity regime, we find an infinite-temperature steady state, but with relaxation dynamics that can be highly nontrivial. For small hopping, the interplay between dissipation and strong interactions leads to an algebraic relaxation of the system, whereas for large hopping, the approach to the steady state is exponential. In the good- cavity regime, we show that the system allows for optical pumping between momentum modes, enabling cavity cooling

Two new records of Macroglossinae (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Argentina

Se registran dos nuevas especies de Sphingidae de Argentina: Aleuron iphis (Walker) y Pachylia darceta Druce. Ambas especies fueron colectadas en la provincia de Misiones. Los especímenes pertenecen a la colección del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia".Two new species of Sphingidae from Argentina are recorded: Aleuron iphis (Walker) and Pachylia darceta Druce. Both species were collected in the pro- vince of Misiones. The specimens belongs to the collection of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia"Fil: Núñez Bustos, Ezequiel Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Ramirez, Joanna Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; Argentin

Effective multidimensional crossover behavior in a one-dimensional voter model with long-range probabilistic interactions

A variant of the standard voter model, where a randomly selected site of a one-dimensional lattice (d=1) adopts the state of another site placed at a distance r from the previous one, is proposed and studied by means of numerical simulations that are rationalized with the aid of dynamical and finite-size scaling arguments. The distance between the two sites is also selected randomly with a probability given by P(r)∝r-(d+σ), where σ is a control parameter. In this way one can study how the introduction of these long-range interactions influences the dynamic behavior of the standard voter model with nearest-neighbor interactions. It is found that the dynamics strongly depends on the range of the interactions, which is parameterized by σ, leading to an interesting effective multidimensional crossover behavior, as follows. (a) For σ2, as well as the case of both scale-free and small-world networks. (b) For σ>1, an ordering dynamics is observed, such that ρ(t)∝t-α, where the exponent α increases with σ until it reaches the value α=1/2 for σ⩾5, which corresponds to the behavior of the standard voter model with short-range interactions in d=1. (c) Finally, for σ≈1 we show evidence of a critical-type behavior as in the case of the critical dimension (dc=2) of the standard voter model.Fil: Rodriguez, Diego Emilio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Bab, Marisa Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Albano, Ezequiel Vicente. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas Biológicos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas Biológicos; Argentin

A multigrid method for the solution of composite mesh problems

The Composite Finite Element Mesh method is useful for the estimation of the discretization error and, in addition, for the nodal solution improvement with a small increase in the computational cost. The technique uses two meshes with different element size to discretize a given problem and, then, it redefines the resulting linear system. On the other hand, Multigrid methods solve a linear system using systems of several sizes resulting from a hierarchy of meshes. This feature motivates the study of the application of the Multigrid strategy together with the Composite Mesh technique. In this work, it is proposed a Multigrid method to solve problems where the Composite Mesh is applied. The goal of the proposal is to achieve both, the advantages of the Multigrid algorithm efficiency and the solution improvement given by the Composite Mesh technique. The new method is tested with some elliptic problems with analytical solution.Fil: Sarraf, Sofia Soledad. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Mecánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, Ezequiel Jose. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Mecánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rios Rodriguez, Gustavo Adolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones En Metodos Computacionales. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Centro de Investigaciones En Metodos Computacionales; ArgentinaFil: Sonzogni, Victorio Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones En Metodos Computacionales. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Centro de Investigaciones En Metodos Computacionales; Argentin

Different approaches to assessing pollution load: the case of nitrogen-related grey water footprint of barley and soybean in Argentina

Agriculture is among the main causes of water pollution. Currently, 75% of global anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loads come from leaching/runoff from cropland. The grey water footprint (GWF) is an indicator of water resource pollution, which allows for the evaluation and monitoring of pollutant loads (L) that can affect water. However, in the literature, there are different approaches to estimating L and thus contrasting GWF estimates: (A1) leaching/runoff fraction approach, (A2) surplus approach and (A3) soil nitrogen balance approach. This study compares these approaches for the first time to assess which one is best adapted to real crop production conditions and optimises GWF calculation. The three approaches are applied to assess N-related GWF in barley and soybean. For barley in 2019, A3 estimated a GWF value 285 to 196% higher than A1, while in 2020, the A3 estimate was 135 to 81% higher. Soybean did not produce a GWF due to the crop characteristics. A3 incorporated N partitioning within the agroecosystem and considered different N inputs beyond fertilization, improving the accuracy of L and GWF estimation. Providing robust GWF results to decision-makers may help to prevent or reduce the impacts of activities that threaten the world’s water ecosystems and supply.Funding: the participation of P. Olivera Rodriguez was possible through a grant from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina. The project leading to these results received funding from Fundación La Caixa and Fundación Caja Navarra, under agreement LCF/PR/PR13/51080004, and Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincial de Buenos Aires Project (CIC) Project EX-2020-21965094-GDEBA-DSTYADCI

Mejoras de la gestión de procesos para aumentar la rentabilidad de la empresa, Distribuidora Zavaleta S.A.C

RESUMEN El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo general realizar un diagnóstico para aumentar la rentabilidad de la empresa Distribuidora ZAVALETA S.A.C. Mediante el diagnóstico elaborado a la empresa Distribuidora ZAVALETA S.A.C se determina que tiene una baja rentabilidad debido a que no cuenta con una gestión adecuada ni procesos en el área de ventas. Así mismo se observa que el stock del producto de mayor demanda es menor al producto con menor venta. No existe una hoja de revisión técnica diaria de los vehículos motorizados, no existe capacitación de los operadores con respecto al cuidado de los vehículos, así como las rutas de la zona de reparto a los consumidores finales. Seguidamente de ello, se continuó a la redacción del diagnóstico de la empresa para para identificar las causas raíces con la ayuda del diagrama de Ishikawa. Luego se realizó la priorización de las Causas Raíces aplicando la encuesta y el diagrama de Pareto para obtener el impacto económico que la empresa deja de percibir, esta problemática generada nos impide obtener mayores ingresos en dinero en un monto de S/ 20650.00. Finalmente, con la información propuesta y habiendo realizado el diagnóstico respectivo se presentara una análisis de los resultados y conclusiones aplicando las herramientas de mejora con la finalidad de aumentar la rentabilidad de la empresa Distribuidora ZAVALETA S.A.C. PALABRAS CLAVES: Gestión, rentabilidad, Servicio

"Adiós Bacteriemias": a multi-country quality improvement collaborative project to reduce the incidence of CLABSI in Latin American ICUs

Quality Problem: The incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in Latin America has been estimated at 4.9 episodes per 1000 central line (CL) days, compared to a pooled incidence of 0.9 in the United States. CLABSI usually result from not adhering to standardized health procedures and can be prevented using evidence-based practices. Initial Assessment: The first phase of the ?Adiós Bacteriemias? Collaborative was implemented in 39 intensive care units (ICUs) from Latin America from September 2012 to September 2013 with a 56% overall reduction in the incidence of CLABSI. Choice of Solution: Bundles of care for the processes of insertion and maintenance of CLs have proven to be effective in the reduction of CLABSI across different settings. Implementation: Building on the results of the first phase, we implemented a second phase of the ?Adiós Bacteriemias? Collaborative between June 2014-July 2015. We adapted the Breakthrough Series (BTS) Collaborative model to guide the adoption of bundles of care for CLABSI prevention through virtual learning sessions and continuous feedback. Evaluation: Eighty-three ICUs from five Latin American countries actively reported process and outcome measures. The overall reduction in the CLABSI incidence rate was 22% (incidence rate 0.78; 95% CI 0.65, 0.95), from 2.58 episodes per 1000 CL days at baseline to 2.02 episodes per 1000 CL days (P < 0.01) during the intervention period. Lessons Learned: Adiós Bacteriemias was effective in reducing the incidence of CLABSI and improving the adherence to good practices for CL insertion and maintenance processes in participating ICUs in Latin America.Fil: Arrieta, Jafet. Harvard University. Harvard School of Public Health; Estados UnidosFil: Orrego, Carola. Fundacion Avedis Donabedian; EspañaFil: Macchiavello, Dolores. Instituto Alexander Fleming; ArgentinaFil: Mora, Nuria. Fundacion Avedis Donabedian; EspañaFil: Delgado, Pedro. Harvard University. Harvard School of Public Health; Estados UnidosFil: Giuffré, Carolina. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Elorrio, Ezequiel. Hospital Alemán; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Viviana. Hospital Alemán; Argentin

Anaerobic co-digestion of rabbit manure and sorghum crops in a bench-scale biodigester

Any type of biomass can be used as substrate for biogas production, but the performance of the biodigestion depends on the composition of the feed, and no direct extrapolation of the yield of the process from one substrate to another can be made. In this work, the performance of a bench-scale anaerobic biodigester of 93 L installed at ambient conditions is studied. The biodigester was set up in a region where temperature varies significantly during the year, and was operated under semi-batch conditions with non-thermal control for 16 months with a feed of rabbit manure and ground sorghum grains. To our knowledge, this is the first time the co-digestion of rabbit manure with sorghum grains is considered. To evaluate the biodigestion performance, critical operational variables (pH, temperature, biogas flowrate) were monitored, and composition of substrate, digestate and produced biogas was determined. Moreover, the following variables were quantified: (a) the theoretical methane potential, (b) the specific methane yield and (c) the degree of degradation of the substrate. A 1-D non-stationary model was formulated and validated with experimental data in order to analyze, in a theoretical form, the impact of incorporating thermal insulation to the unit. The results show that is it possible to produce biogas in a bench-scale biodigester, with a novel feed of rabbit manure and ground sorghum grains, in a region with significant temperature changes along the year. Moreover, it is shown that the 1-D model constitutes a useful tool for the design or improvement of biodigesters regarding the insulation system and the warming policies.Fil: Adrover, María Esperanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Cotabarren, Ivana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Madies, Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Rayes, Manuel. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Reartes, Sabrina Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Pedernera, Marisa Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; Argentin

Vitamins C and E prevent endothelial VEGF and VEGFR-2 overexpression induced by porcine hypercholesterolemic LDL

OBJECTIVE: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is believed to play a role in the development of atherosclerosis and has been found to be increased in hypercholesterolemia. We examined the hypothesis that endothelial VEGF and VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) expression is upregulated by hypercholesterolemic low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and, because it could be driven by oxidative stress, we tested whether vitamin C and E supplementation could modulate it. METHODS: Native LDL were characterized after isolation from adult normal (C-LDL), hypercholesterolemic (HC-LDL) and hypercholesterolemic mini-pigs receiving vitamins C and E (HCV-LDL). VEGF, VEGFR-2, HIF-1 alpha and superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) productions were measured in porcine coronary endothelial cells (ECs) incubated for 48 h with native LDL. The effect of exogenous ascorbic acid and alpha- or beta-tocopherol was also studied. RESULTS: HC-LDL, with high cholesterol (P<0.05) and reduced tocopherol/cholesterol ratio (P<0.05), increased significantly VEGF and VEGFR-2 (p<0.001) in EC, associated with higher O(2)(-) and HIF-1 alpha expression, in comparison with C-LDL and HCV-LDL. The addition of vitamin C and alpha- or beta-tocopherol to the culture medium prevented the induction of VEGF and VEGFR-2 expression by HC-LDL, both at mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest HC-LDL induce endothelial VEGF and VEGFR-2 overexpression at least by increasing oxidative stress, and HIF-1 alpha is one of the signaling mechanisms involved. Prevention of VEGF and VEGFR-2 upregulation could help explain the beneficial effects of vitamins C and E in hypercholesterolemia-induced experimental atherosclerosis