2,142 research outputs found
Study of the effect of non-uniform flow distribution in the transient response of a system of flat plate solar collectors for hot water service
Flows
in
manifolds
are
extensively
encountered
in
diverse
fields
of
engineering,
solar
collectors
among
others.
The
division
of
fluids
into
streamlines
by
means
of
a
manifold
causes
pressure
changes
in
the
headers
due
to
wall
friction
and
changing
fluid
momentum,
which
leads
to
non-‐
uniformity
distribution
of
flow
and
thus,
a
decrease
in
the
collector’s
efficiency.
In
this
project
a
numerical
analysis
of
the
flow
distribution
in
a
flat
plate
solar
collector
has
been
developed.
The
solution
of
the
mathematical
model
was
found
with
the
use
of
the
finite
difference;
thus,
a
computational
code
in
Matlab
was
developed.
Due
to
the
difficulties
of
making
experimental
measurements,
a
hypothetical
instantaneous
Hot
Water
Service
(HWS)
system
located
in
Leganés
(Spain),
consisting
of
a
flat
plate
solar
collector
and
a
heat
exchanger,
was
developed
based
on
the
regulations
established
in
the
“Código
Técnico
de
la
Edificación”
(CTE).
Once
the
necessary
demand
and
flow
of
consumption
for
the
HWS
system
was
obtained,
the
flat
plate
solar
collector
was
dimensioned
according
to
the
requirements
of
the
system.
Finally,
all
parameters
found
(mass
flows,
geometry
of
the
solar
collector
and
temperatures)
are
used
as
boundary
conditions
of
the
mathematical
model,
in
that
sense
a
study
of
the
flow
distribution
inside
the
solar
collector
is
conducted.Ingeniería Mecánic
Kirschmann's Fourth Law
Kirschmann's Fourth Law states that the magnitude of simultaneous color contrast increases with the saturation of the inducing surround, but that the rate of increase reduces as saturation increases. Others since Kirschmann have agreed and disagreed. Here we show that the form of the relationship between simultaneous color contrast and inducer saturation depends on the method of measurement. Functions were measured by four methods: (i) asymmetric matching with a black surround, (ii) asymmetric matching with a surround metameric to equal energy white, (iii) dichoptic matching, and (iv) nulling an induced sinusoidal modulation. Results from the asymmetric matching conditions agreed with Kirschmann, whereas results from nulling and from dichoptic matching showed a more linear increase in simultaneous contrast with the saturation of the inducer. We conclude that the method certainly affects the conclusions reached, and that there may not be any "fair" way of measuring simultaneous contrast
Marked Underreporting of Pertussis Requiring Hospitalization in Infants as Estimated by Capture-Recapture Methodology, Germany, 2013-2015
Background: In Germany, pertussis became notifiable in eastern federal states in 2002 and nationwide in March 2013. Infants are at greatest risk for severe disease, with a high proportion requiring hospitalization. We implemented enhanced hospital-based surveillance to estimate the incidence of pertussis requiring hospitalization among infants in Germany and to determine the proportion of infants hospitalized with pertussis too young to have been vaccinated. Methods: Enhanced surveillance was implemented within a nationwide hospital surveillance network (ESPED). We defined cases as children less than 1 year of age hospitalized due to laboratory-confirmed pertussis with disease onset from 01/07/2013-30/06/2015. We matched cases to those ascertained in the national statutory notification system, and estimated incidence using capture-recapture methodology. Results: The estimated annual incidence of pertussis requiring hospitalization in infants was 52/100,000 infants (95% confidence interval [CI] 48-57/100,000), with 39% under-reporting to the national notification system. During the two epidemiologic years under-reporting decreased from 46% to 32% and was lower in eastern than western federal states (21% vs. 40%). Within ESPED, 154 of 240 infants (64%) were younger than or still at the age recommended for the first vaccine dose;55 (23%) could have received one or more vaccine doses. Median length of hospitalization was 9 days (IQR 5-13 days) and 18% required intensive care treatment. Conclusions: Our study revealed a high burden of pertussis in infants with marked under-reporting, especially in western federal states where notification was only recently established. Strategies for the prevention of severe pertussis
El cumplimiento terapéutico en la hipertensión arterial en España, según la opinión de los médicos de familia. Proyecto Cumplex
ObjetivoEvaluar los conocimientos de los médicos sobre el cumplimiento farmacológico en general, su actitud ante éste y sus necesidades de formación.DiseñoEstudio descriptivo, transversal, mediante una encuesta.EmplazamientoCentros de atención primaria de España.ParticipantesParticiparon 3.834 médicos.Mediciones principalesDefinición de incumplimiento, incumplimiento observado en su consulta y el resto de España, métodos de medición, causas, asociación con fracaso terapéutico, eficacia y uso de estrategias para mejorarlo, y necesidad de formación.ResultadosEl 95,9% cumplimentó la encuesta. El 92% (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%, 91,1-92,9) define como incumplimiento la omisión por el paciente de 5-20% de las tomas. Un 32,4% (IC del 95%, 30,9-33,9) opinó que menos del 10% sería incumplidor, mientras que un 6,8% (IC del 95%, 6,0-7,6) opinaba que la tasa de incumplimiento en España era inferior al 10%. Los métodos de medición más usados son la respuesta del paciente (77,0%; IC del 9%, 75,7-78,4) y la propia experiencia (76,0%; IC del 95%, 74,6-77,4). El 50,7% cree que el incumplimiento está asociado con el fracaso terapéutico en más del 50%.La presencia de efectos adversos fue considerada una causa muy importante en el mayor porcentaje (81,9%). Las estrategias consideradas más eficaces y utilizadas son: empleo de fármacos en monodosis (84,3%; IC del 95, 83,1-85,5) y consulta de enfermería (84,9%; IC del 95%, 83,8-86,0). El 65,2% (IC del 95%, 63,7-66,7) no ha recibido formación durante la carrera y un 42% (IC del 95%; 40,4-43,6) considera necesario realizar alguna actividad formativa.ConclusionesUn alto porcentaje de medicos utiliza una definición incorrecta de cumplimiento y cree que otros medicos tienen más pacientes incumplidores. Se utilizan preferentemente métodos de medición no validados y se observa un déficit de formación.ObjectivesTo evaluate physicians’ knowledge of therapy compliance, their attitudes towards it and their training needs in this field.DesignTransversal, descriptive study using a questionnaire.SettingPrimary care centres in Spain.ParticipantsThree thousand and trirty four general practitioners.Main measurementsDefinition of non-compliance, non-compliance in their own consultations and in the rest of Spain, methods of measurement, causes, association with therapy failure, efficacy and use of compliance-enhancing strategies, and need for training.ResultsMost participants (92%; 95% CI, 91.1-92.9) defined non-compliance as patients’ failure to take 5%-20% of their pills. A total of 32.4% (95% CI, 30.9%-33.9%) of the physicians estimated that less than 10% of their patients were non-compliers, whereas 6.8% (95% CI, 6.0-7.6) thought this was also the rate in the rest of Spain. The preferred methods of measurement were patient response (77.0%; 75.7-78.4) and their own clinical experience (76.0%; 74.6-77.4). About half (50.7%) believed that lack of compliance was associated with therapy failure in more than 50% of cases. The presence of adverse side-effects was considered a very important cause of poor compliance by 81.9%. The most common and effective strategies were: use of single-dose drugs (84.3%; 83.1-85.5) and nursing support (84.9%; 83.8-86.0).Moreover, 65.2% (63.7-66.7) of the surveyed physicians had not received any education about compliance as medical students and 42% (40.4-43.6) said further training in compliance was needed.ConclusionsA high percentage of physicians define compliance incorrectly and believe that other doctors have more non-complying patients than they do. They tend to favour non-validated measuring methods and they lack training
Unidad didáctica de 2º bachillerato: Nietzsche
En el siguiente trabajo de fin de máster (TFM de la modalidad A) voy a exponer la unidad didáctica (UD) que he desarrollado durante mi estancia como profesor de prácticas en el IES Clara Campoamor Rodríguez, situado en el zaragozano barrio Parque Goya II. El núcleo del trabajo, por tanto, será el desarrollo de los distintos aspectos que componen el diseño y la adecuación de un bloque de contenidos marcado por el currículo para su implantación en el aula. Antes de nada, me gustaría agradecer los conocimientos y consejos que he adquirido en la asignatura de diseño de actividades de aprendizaje de filosofía, impartida por Jorge Jiménez Portillo. Dado que una parte de esta asignatura consistía en el diseño de una unidad didáctica, he podido ir introduciendo y refinando las distintas partes que han de tenerse en cuenta a la hora de elaborar un trabajo de estas características. El enfoque del diseño de esta unidad didáctica estuvo en todo momento enfocado hacia el deseo de promover el pensamiento crítico y la autonomía del alumnado, siendo los dos valores clave que, a mi juicio, pueden y deben promoverse desde cualquier aula de filosofía.<br /
Associations between BMI and the FTO Gene Are Age Dependent: Results from the GINI and LISA Birth Cohort Studies up to Age 6 Years
Objective: The association between polymorphisms in intron 1 of the fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) and obesity-related traits is one of the most robust associations reported for complex traits and is established both in adults and children. However, little is known about the longitudinal dynamics of these polymorphisms on body mass index (BMI), overweight, and obesity. Methods: This study is based on the 2,732 full-term neonates of the German GINI-plus and LISA-plus birth cohorts, for whom genotyping data on the FTO variants rs1558902 (T>A) or rs9935401 (G>A) were available. Children were followed from birth up to age 6 years. Up to 9 anthropometric measurements of BMI were obtained. Fractional-Polynomial-Generalized-Estimation-Equation modeling was used to assess developmental trends and their potential dependence on genotype status. Results: We observed no evidence for BMI differences between genotypes of both variants for the first 3 years of life. However, from age 3 years onwards, we noted a higher BMI for the homozygous minor alleles carriers in comparison to the other two genotype groups. However, evidence for statistical significance was reached from the age of 4 years onwards. Conclusions: This is one of the first studies investigating in detail the development of BMI depending on FTO genotype between birth and the age of 6 years in a birth cohort not selected for the phenotype studied. We observed that the association between BMI and FTO genotype evolves gradually and becomes descriptively detectable from the age of 3 years onwards
Rapid decrease in titer and breadth of neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved SVR
The main targets for neutralizing anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (HCV-nAbs) are the E1 and E2
envelope glycoproteins. We have studied the characteristics of HCV-nAbs through a retrospective study
involving 29 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with pegIFNα+ribavirin anti-HCV therapy. Plasma samples at baseline and week 24 after SVR were used to
perform neutralization assays against fve JFH1-based HCV recombinant viruses coding for E1 and E2
from genotypes 1a (H77), 1b (J4), 2a (JFH1), 3a (S52) and 4a (ED43). At baseline, the majority of plasma
samples neutralized 1a, 1b, 2a, and 4a, but not 3a, genotypes. Twenty-four weeks following SVR, most
neutralizing titers declined substantially. Furthermore, titers against 3a and 2a were not detected in
many patients. Plasma samples with high HCV-nAb titers neutralized all genotypes, and the highest
titers at the starting point correlated with the highest titers at week 24 after SVR. In conclusion, high
titers of broad-spectrum HCV-nAbs were detected in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals, however, those
titers declined soon after SVRThis study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; grant
numbers PI14/01094 and PI17/00657 to JB, PI17/00903 to JGG, PI14CIII/00011 and PI17CIII/00003 to SR) and
Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (grant number EC11-241). Te study was also funded by the
RD16CIII/0002/0002, RD16/0025/0018, and RD16/0025/0017 projects as part of the Plan Nacional R+D+I
and co-funded by ISCIII- Subdirección General de Evaluación and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional
(FEDER
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Associations between air temperature and cardio-respiratory mortality in the urban area of Beijing, China: a time-series analysis
Background: Associations between air temperature and mortality have been consistently observed in Europe and
the United States; however, there is a lack of studies for Asian countries. Our study investigated the association
between air temperature and cardio-respiratory mortality in the urban area of Beijing, China.
Methods: Death counts for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases for adult residents (≥15 years), meteorological
parameters and concentrations of particulate air pollution were obtained from January 2003 to August 2005. The
effects of two-day and 15-day average temperatures were estimated by Poisson regression models, controlling for
time trend, relative humidity and other confounders if necessary. Effects were explored for warm (April to
September) and cold periods (October to March) separately. The lagged effects of daily temperature were
investigated by polynomial distributed lag (PDL) models.
Results: We observed a J-shaped exposure-response function only for 15-day average temperature and respiratory
mortality in the warm period, with 21.3°C as the threshold temperature. All other exposure-response functions
could be considered as linear. In the warm period, a 5°C increase of two-day average temperature was associated
with a RR of 1.098 (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.057-1.140) for cardiovascular and 1.134 (95%CI: 1.050-1.224)
for respiratory mortality; a 5°C decrease of 15-day average temperature was associated with a RR of 1.040 (95%CI:
0.990-1.093) for cardiovascular mortality. In the cold period, a 5°C increase of two-day average temperature was
associated with a RR of 1.149 (95%CI: 1.078-1.224) for respiratory mortality; a 5°C decrease of 15-day average
temperature was associated with a RR of 1.057 (95%CI: 1.022-1.094) for cardiovascular mortality. The effects
remained robust after considering particles as additional confounders.
Conclusions: Both increases and decreases in air temperature are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular
mortality. The effects of heat were immediate while the ones of cold became predominant with longer time lags.
Increases in air temperature are also associated with an immediate increased risk of respiratory mortality
Physical Activity in German Adolescents Measured by Accelerometry and Activity Diary: Introducing a Comprehensive Approach for Data Management and Preliminary Results
INTRODUCTION: Surveillance of physical activity (PA) is increasingly based on accelerometry. However, data management guidelines are lacking. We propose an approach for combining accelerometry and diary based PA information for assessment of PA in adolescents and provide an example of this approach using data from German adolescents. METHODS: The 15-year-old participants comprised a subsample the GINIplus birth cohort (n = 328, 42.4% male). Data on PA was obtained from hip-worn accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X) for seven consecutive days, combined with a prospective activity diary. Major aspects of data management were validity of wear time, handling of non-wear time and diary comments. After data cleaning, PA and percentage of adolescents meeting the recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) per day were determined. RESULTS: From the 2224 recorded days 493 days (25%) were invalid, mainly due to uncertainties relating to non-wear time (322 days). Ultimately, 269 of 328 subjects (82%) with valid data for at least three weekdays and one weekend day were included in the analysis. Mean MVPA per day was 39.1 minutes (SD ±25.0), with boys being more active than girls (41.8±21.5 minutes vs. 37.1±27.8 minutes, p<0.001). Accordingly, 24.7% of boys and 17.2% of girls (p<0.01) met the WHO recommendations for PA. School sport accounted for only 6% of weekly MVPA. In fact, most MVPA was performed during leisure time, with the majority of adolescents engaging in ball sports (25.4%) and endurance sports (19.7%). Girls also frequently reported dancing and gymnastics (23%). CONCLUSION: For assessment of PA in adolescents, collecting both accelerometry and diary-based information is recommended. The diary is vital for the identification of invalid data and non-compliant participants. Preliminary results suggest that four out of five German adolescents do not meet WHO recommendations for PA and that school sport contributes only little to MVPA
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