This study investigates the role of soil moisture on the threshold runoff response in a small headwater catchment in the Italian Alps that is characterised by steep hillslopes and a distinct riparian ...zone. This study focuses on: (i) the threshold soil moisture-runoff relationship and the influence of catchment topography on this relation; (ii) the temporal dynamics of soil moisture, streamflow and groundwater that characterize the catchment's response to rainfall during dry and wet periods; and (iii) the combined effect of antecedent wetness conditions and rainfall amount on hillslope and riparian runoff. Our results highlight the strong control exerted by soil moisture on runoff in this catchment: a sharp threshold exists in the relationship between soil water content and runoff coefficient, streamflow, and hillslope-averaged depth to water table. Low runoff ratios were likely related to the response of the riparian zone, which was almost always close to saturation. High runoff ratios occurred during wet antecedent conditions, when the soil moisture threshold was exceeded. In these cases, subsurface flow was activated on hillslopes, which became a major contributor to runoff. Antecedent wetness conditions also controlled the catchment's response time: during dry periods, streamflow reacted and peaked prior to hillslope soil moisture whereas during wet conditions the opposite occurred. This difference resulted in a hysteretic behaviour in the soil moisture-streamflow relationship. Finally, the influence of antecedent moisture conditions on runoff was also evident in the relation between cumulative rainfall and total stormflow. Small storms during dry conditions produced low stormflow amounts, likely mainly from overland flow from the near saturated riparian zone. Conversely, for rainfall events during wet conditions, higher stormflow values were observed and hillslopes must have contributed to streamflow.
The direct interaction between large-scale interplanetary disturbances emitted from the Sun and the Earth's magnetosphere can lead to geomagnetic storms representing the most severe space weather ...events. In general, the geomagnetic activity is measured by the Dst index. Consequently, its accurate prediction represents one of the main subjects in space weather studies. In this scenario, we try to predict the Dst index during quiet and disturbed geomagnetic conditions using the interplanetary magnetic field and the solar wind parameters. To accomplish this task, we analyzed the response of a newly developed neural network using interplanetary parameters as inputs. We strongly demonstrated that the training procedure strictly changes the capability of giving correct forecasting of stormy and disturbed geomagnetic periods. Indeed, the strategy proposed for creating datasets for training and validation plays a fundamental role in guaranteeing good performances of the proposed neural network architecture.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex and heterogeneous autoimmune disease, represents a significant challenge for both diagnosis and treatment. Patients with SLE in Latin America face ...special problems that should be considered when therapeutic guidelines are developed. The objective of the study is to develop clinical practice guidelines for Latin American patients with lupus. Two independent teams (rheumatologists with experience in lupus management and methodologists) had an initial meeting in Panama City, Panama, in April 2016. They selected a list of questions for the clinical problems most commonly seen in Latin American patients with SLE. These were addressed with the best available evidence and summarised in a standardised format following the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. All preliminary findings were discussed in a second face-to-face meeting in Washington, DC, in November 2016. As a result, nine organ/system sections are presented with the main findings; an 'overarching' treatment approach was added. Special emphasis was made on regional implementation issues. Best pharmacologic options were examined for musculoskeletal, mucocutaneous, kidney, cardiac, pulmonary, neuropsychiatric, haematological manifestations and the antiphospholipid syndrome. The roles of main therapeutic options (ie, glucocorticoids, antimalarials, immunosuppressant agents, therapeutic plasma exchange, belimumab, rituximab, abatacept, low-dose aspirin and anticoagulants) were summarised in each section. In all cases, benefits and harms, certainty of the evidence, values and preferences, feasibility, acceptability and equity issues were considered to produce a recommendation with special focus on ethnic and socioeconomic aspects. Guidelines for Latin American patients with lupus have been developed and could be used in similar settings.
Operations Research (OR) is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with optimization problems arising from different real contexts. The solving process of its problems is based on the ...construction and resolution of mathematical models, showing the possible connections between mathematics and the real world. Nevertheless, OR is not typically included in most curricula of higher secondary schools (i.e. Grades 9-12), but it is usually presented mainly at university level. To show how OR could be significant for these school students' education, the authors of this paper developed an educational project consisting of three teaching units. In this paper, we share the result of the teaching experiment related to the first unit, addressed to Grade 10. Qualitative and quantitative analyses show how it is appropriate to include OR and its typology of problems in regular school mathematics lectures. Second, these data also show how modelling and problem-solving skills, developed working with OR, can be fostered by implementing a collaborative way of working, also by making use of digital technologies. Last but not least, we demonstrate the positive impact such activities have on students' appreciation of OR.
Intestinal absorption in human is routinely predicted in drug discovery using in vitro assays such as permeability in the Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line. In silico models trained on these data ...are used in drug discovery efforts to prioritize novel chemical targets for synthesis; however, their proprietary nature and the limited validation available, which is usually restricted to predicting in vitro permeability, are barriers to widespread adoption. Because of the categorical nature of the in vitro permeability assay, intrinsic assay variability, and the challenges often encountered when translating in vitro data to an in vivo drug property, validation based solely on in vitro data might not be a good characterization of the usefulness of the in silico tool. In this work, we analyze the performance of three different in silico models in predicting the in vitro and in vivo permeability of 300 marketed drugs and 86 discovery compounds. The models differ in their approach (mechanistic vs quantitative structure–activity relationship) and the degree of complexity; one of them is a linear equation based on seven simple physicochemical descriptors and is presented for the first time in this work. Results show that in silico models can be successfully used to complement the discovery toolbox for characterizing in vivo intestinal permeability, defined using fraction of dose absorbed in human (Fa) and human jejunal permeability (P eff). While the in vitro permeability models outperformed the in silico approach at predicting each of the in vivo end points explored, the gap in predictivity between the in vitro and the in vivo data was generally comparable to the gap between in silico and in vitro data. The in vitro and in silico approaches shared many of the same outliers, which can often be explained by the route of drug absorption (paracellular vs transcellular, active vs passive). Data suggest that the discovery process can greatly benefit from an early adoption of in silico models for predicting permeability as well as from a careful analysis of the in silico to in vivo disconnects.
The use of tissue engineering for cartilage repair has emerged as a potential therapeutic option and has led to the development of Hyalograft C, a tissue-engineered graft composed of autologous ...chondrocytes grown on a scaffold entirely made of HYAFF 11, an esterified derivative of hyaluronic acid. Here we present the results of an ongoing multicenter clinical study conducted with the primary objective to investigate the subjective symptomatic, functional and health-related quality of life outcomes of patients treated with Hyalograft C. Clinical results on the cohort of 141 patients with followup assessments ranging from 2 to 5 years (average followup time: 38 months), are reported. At followup 91.5% of patients improved according to the International Knee Documentation Committee subjective evaluation; 76% and 88% of patients had no pain and mobility problems respectively assessed by the EuroQol-EQ5D measure. Furthermore, 95.7% of the patients had their treated knee normal or nearly normal as assessed by the surgeon; cartilage repair was graded arthroscopically as normal or nearly normal in 96.4% of the scored knees; the majority of the second-look biopsies of the grafted site histologically were assessed as hyaline-like. Importantly, a very limited complication rate was recorded in this study. The positive clinical results obtained indicate that Hyalograft C is a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of articular cartilage lesions.
Therapeutic study, Level III-2 (retrospective cohort study). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
In this observational, analytical, cross-sectional study we aimed to describe the impact of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) on work productivity and activities of daily living (ADL) to assess the ...association between ADL impairment and clinical manifestations and to compare ADL impairment according to patients' socioeconomic condition.
Patients diagnosed with pSS attending 11 centres from Argentina were included. To evaluate work productivity and ADL impairment, a work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire (WPAI) was used. A multiple linear regression model was performed, considering deterioration on ADL due to health as a dependent variable, adjusted for potential confounders.
252 patients were included, 98.4% were women, with a mean age of 52.6 years (±14.8). The average percentage of time lost due to health was 15.7 hours (±30.1 95% CI: 9.6-21.9); the decrease in work productivity was 27.2 (±30.2 95% CI: 21.3-33.1), the total disability was 33.7 (±35.8 95% CI: 26.4-4) and ADL deterioration was 34.2 (±30.9. 95% CI: 30.4-38). In the multivariate analysis, xerostomia, arthritis and depression showed significant and independent association. The mean of ADL impairment was 38.2 (±30.7) in patients attending public centres versus 28 (± 30.6) in private centres, which was a statistically significant difference.
We found a compromise in all WPAI domains. Arthritis, xerostomia and depression were associated significantly and independently with ADL impairment. Deterioration in ADL was greater in patients treated in public centres. Considering these aspects will allow a better understanding of patients who suffer from this disease.
This work shows the design, development and measurements of an innovative pressure sensor for high pressure and high temperature environments for offshore oil and gas exploration. The proposed sensor ...is produced with a simple microfabrication process, which enables large-scale manufacturing, reducing production costs. The advantage of low cost production using these sensors is the ability to design distributed pressure sensors systems at affordable prices to monitor smart wells in oil and gas production. The proposed sensor consists of a two-port SAW device in contrast to the common BAW pressure sensors typically used in the oil and gas industry. A test capsule was designed to measure the device under pressure and the sensitivity obtained by the measurements was found to be 14.8 Hz/psi. The operation range was 0-15,000 psi and the device must operate on temperatures up to 150 degreesC. Resolution was determined to be 1% of full scale. A capsule to package the sensor and circuits was designed and manufactured in 316L Stainless Steel. Results are very promising and expand the application of different kinds of sensors in the oil and gas industry.
•Inspection procedure of concrete structures exposed to a marine environment.•There is a strong effect of the wetting and drying cycles on the chloride-ion content was verified.•Helping to understand ...the work in service of real reinforced concrete structures.•Chloride ion contents were observed to have a tendency to decrease at higher places.
Many studies about service life predictions of reinforced concrete structures are under development worldwide. However, much more advanced knowledge in this area is still needed before attaining realistic models. Real case studies are extremely important to indicate the factors of influence to be considered as variables in these models, making them closer to reality. This study of a reinforced concrete structure exposed to the environment for about 40years is inserted in this context.
The chloride-ion contents from pillars of a reinforced concrete structure located in a marine environment, approximately 700m away from the coastline are analyzed, showing the effect of the height (with samples from different levels), wetting and drying cycles and the positioning of the pillars in relation to the coastline.
The results show that the higher the concrete is, the lower the chloride contamination degree. It is shown that in the absence of wetting and drying cycles, the chloride-ion contents are smaller than the threshold limit of 0.40% per cement mass. Furthermore, the results show that there is no influence of the position of the pillars in relation to the sea and that the concrete located in regions where there are wetting and drying cycles is more contaminated by chloride.
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