Los hórreos son construcciones rurales tradicionales del norte de España usadas para la desecación y conservación de granos de cereal. Sus características proporcionan ventilación natural y un ...ambiente desfavorable para el ataque de agentes bióticos (como hongos o insectos), además de evitar el acceso de otros, como roedores. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar las condiciones ambientales de los hórreos tipo Mondoñedo (zona costera norte de Galicia, noroeste de España). Están construidos de madera y piedra, con una cámara de grano prismática aislada del suelo y con aberturas de ventilación en sus paredes laterales. En tres hórreos, durante un periodo de un mes, se midieron la temperatura y la humedad relativa del aire interior y exterior a lo largo del día. Se analizaron los valores máximos y mínimos durante tres periodos (noche, mañana y tarde) y a tres horas determinadas (9:00, 14:00 y 21:00). Se observó que los hórreos tenían un efecto amortiguador sobre la humedad relativa: Cuando la humedad exterior era >/= 90% ó </= 65%, la humedad interior era, como media, un 5,2% inferior o un 3,2% superior, respectivamente; si era +/-75% el efecto era el más reducido. Para la temperatura, este efecto no era tan destacable. Se concluye que la humedad relativa y, en menor medida, la temperatura permanecen más estables dentro del hórreo, proporcionando un ambiente apropiado para preservar el grano. Otras características (como localización geográfica, altitud topográfica, exposición al viento y dirección del eje longitudinal) parecen influir en el nivel de variación experimentado por las variables.
Hórreos are traditional rural buildings of northern Spain used for desiccation and conservation of cereal grains. They provide natural ventilation, an unfavourable environment to discourage attack by biotic agents (e.g., fungi and insects) and prevent access by others, such as rodents. The objective of this paper was to study the environmental conditions of the Mondoñedo type of hórreos (north coastal area of Galicia, northwestern Spain). They are built of wood and stone, with a prismatic grain chamber isolated from the ground and with ventilation openings on the side walls. In three hórreos, over a period of one month, the temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) of the indoor and outdoor air were measured throughout the day. Maximum and minimum values during three periods (night, morning and afternoon) and at three specific times (9:00, 14:00 and 21:00) were analysed. It was noted that hórreos had a dampening effect on RH. When the outdoor humidity was >/= 90%, the indoor humidity was on average 5.2% lower. If the outdoor humidity was </= 65%, the indoor humidity was on average 3.2% higher. When it was around 75%, this effect was at its smallest. This effect was not as remarkable for T. It is concluded that RH and, to a lesser extent, T remain more stable in the hórreo than outdoors, providing an appropriate environment for the preservation of grain. Other characteristics (i.e., geographical location, topographic altitude, exposure to the wind and longitudinal axis direction) appear to influence the amount of change experienced by these parameters.
To determine the incidence of outcomes, unanticipated admissions and cancellations in patients operated in an Ambulatory surgery unit, and to establish the relationships with their body mass index ...(BMI).
An observational descriptive prospective study was conducted in the Ambulatory surgery unit of the University Hospital Virgen del Rocío of Seville, on ASA I or II adult patients proposed for day case surgery with loco-regional or general anesthesia. A cohort of 1,088 patients was classified according to their body mass index into four groups: no obesity (BMI<30), obesity i (BMI 30-34.9), obesity ii (BMI 35-39.9), and morbid obesity iii (BMI 40-49.9). Postoperative outcomes (48h), inpatient admissions, and cancellations where calculated.
The obesity ii (BMI 35-39.9) group showed a higher incidence of postoperative complications (7.69%), unplanned admissions (7.69%), and surgical cancellations (4.87%), doubling, at least, the incidence of adverse events of the other study groups, even when no significant difference was found. Outcomes where similar in all study groups.
The results of this study suggest that moderate and severe obesity should be a risk factor for postoperative complications, unplanned admissions, and cancellations in outpatient surgery. Adequate patient selection and preoperative evaluation, as well as strategies for the prevention and control of the most frequents complications in obese patients are the key factors for their integration in major ambulatory surgery programs.
This study aimed to investigate the immunogenicity of a cancer vaccine consisting of the NeuGcGM3 ganglioside combined with the outer membrane protein complex of Neisseria meningitides to form very ...small size particles. The vaccine is administered together with Montanide ISA51, as adjuvant treatment for breast cancer patients. After surgical resection and standard first-line chemo/radiotherapy, breast cancer patients in stage II-III were enrolled in a phase III clinical trial and allocated into 2 strata, according to the number of positive lymph nodes stratum I (0-3); stratum II (≥4). Subsequently, patients were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine or placebo. The treatment consisted of 5 vaccine doses (200 μg) every 2 weeks and thereafter monthly reimmunizations to complete 15 doses. The vaccine was well-tolerated and high titers of immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G anti-NeuGcGM3 antibodies were similarly detected in each stratum. Hyperimmune sera were able to specifically recognize and kill the NeuGcGM3-expressing L1210 tumor cell line, and these functional capacities were significantly associated with a better clinical outcome in patients of stratum II. Besides, postimmune sera had the capacity to revert in vitro the immunosuppression induced by NeuGcGM3, as measured by the prevention of CD4 downmodulation on human T lymphocytes. Vaccination had no impact on the frequency of regulatory T cells or circulating NK cells. This study demonstrated, for the first time, the immunogenicity of the NeuGcGM3/VSSP/Montanide ISA 51 vaccine in the adjuvant setting and describes the functionality of induced anti-NeuGcGM3 antibodies as potential surrogate biomarkers of clinical benefit.
We illustrate that the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) could be the result of indeterminacy of equilibria. In a simple neoclassical growth model with a single environmental ...externality in households’ utility function and with public abatement, we characterize the condition on the parameters in preferences and in the pollution technology leading to local indeterminacy of equilibrium. Estimates of the crucial parameters of the model using data from economies that display the EKC satisfy the theoretical indeterminacy condition. We find that the presence of abatement activities is not a necessary condition for indeterminacy equilibria and hence, an EKC to arise. On the other hand, non-separability of consumption and pollution in the utility function is crucial.
High Concentrator Photovoltaics (HCPV) modules are typically equipped with multi-junction solar cells (MJSC) based on III-V compound semiconductors, which are typically either triple-junction (TJSC) ...or four-junction solar cells (FJSC). This work analyzes the impact of changing the number of subcells and their bandgaps in the optical efficiency. An exhaustive optical modelling is applied for estimating subcell short-circuit current density values under the concentrated illumination. The same typical concentrator of Fresnel lens plus a refractive homogenizer concentrator is applied to two different MJSCs. The optical efficiency when using the FJSC is 86.0%-almost 2% higher than with the TJSC. The acceptance angle results are similar for both cases, around 1.22°. Concerning the spectral matching ratio, SMR, the FJSC unit shows more distant values respect to the equivalent conditions to the standard illumination than the TJSC, due to the lower bandgaps of the FJSC.
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