ABSTRACT
In Latin America, the energy potential from sugarcane straw, such as tops, secondary stalk, and leaves, has been debated, but the literature associated with organic crops and its implementation for energy purposes is limited. Sugarcane straw is either left in the field for soil recovery or used for animal feed. This paper presents an analysis of using organic sugarcane straw for energy generation. We have characterized the physicochemical properties of this organic sugarcane straw, including caloric value, moisture, carbon, and ash content, and have explored the environmental benefits of using biomass to replace coal as an energy source. The study showed that it is possible to achieve the replacement of coal using 16% of the residual biomass, with the benefit of generating lower CO2 emissions compared to coal combustion. Additionally, emissions derived from transporting the biomass from the field to the farm are 68% lower than those involved in transporting coal. The residual biomass from the organic crop showed similar properties relative to bagasse. The use of organic sugarcane straw biomass will result in the reduction of energy costs and will generate green energy with lower emission of CO2.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To define which variables upon ICU admission could be related to the presence of coinfection using CHAID (Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection) analysis. METHODS: A secondary analysis from a prospective, multicentre, observational study (2009-2014) in ICU patients with confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 infection. We assessed the potential of biomarkers and clinical variables upon admission to the ICU for coinfection diagnosis using CHAID analysis. Performance of cut-off points obtained was determined on the basis of the binominal distributions of the true (+) and true (-) results. RESULTS: Of the 972 patients included, 196 (20.3%) had coinfection. Procalcitonin (PCT; ng/mL 2.4 vs. 0.5, p < 0.001), but not C-reactive protein (CRP; mg/dL 25 vs. 38.5; p = 0.62) was higher in patients with coinfection. In CHAID analyses, PCT was the most important variable for coinfection. PCT <0.29 ng/mL showed high sensitivity (Se = 88.2%), low Sp (33.2%) and high negative predictive value (NPV = 91.9%). The absence of shock improved classification capacity. Thus, for PCT <0.29 ng/mL, the Se was 84%, the Sp 43% and an NPV of 94% with a post-test probability of coinfection of only 6%. CONCLUSION: PCT has a high negative predictive value (94%) and lower PCT levels seems to be a good tool for excluding coinfection, particularly for patients without shock.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Infections/diagnosis , Bacterial Infections/pathology , Calcitonin/blood , Coinfection/diagnosis , Coinfection/pathology , Influenza, Human/complications , Influenza, Human/pathology , Protein Precursors/blood , Adult , Biomarkers/blood , Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide , Decision Trees , Female , Humans , Intensive Care Units , Male , Middle Aged , Predictive Value of Tests , Prospective Studies , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Objetivos: determinar la variación de la agudeza visual cercana en pacientes expuestos a campos magnéticos intensos por períodos cortos en estudios de resonancia magnética.Métodos: estudio descriptivo de una serie de casos, que incluyó 9 hombres y 31 mujeres alfabetas mayores de 40 años; debían tener una agudeza visual mejor de 20/200 y no estar bajo los efectos de medicamentos ansiolíticos. Estas personas fueron sometidas a procedimientos diagnósticos de resonancia magnética de cabeza y cuello; antes del procedimiento e inmediatamente después de terminarlo se les midió la agudeza visual (AV) con la carta de visión cercana de Jaeger. Las mediciones fueron llevadas a cabo por dos observadores diferentes, cada uno de los cuales desconocía los resultados obtenidos por el otro.Resultados: las medias de la agudeza visual cercana antes y después de la resonancia magnética fueron, respectivamente, 1.4324 ± 0.4766 m y 1.4375 ± 0.5024 m (p = 0.505).Conclusiones: en el grupo evaluado no se evidenciaron cambios estadísticamente significativos de la agudeza visual cercana después de un estudio de resonancia magnética de cabeza y cuello.
Purpose: To determine the variation of near visual acuity, in patients exposed during short periods to intense magnetic fields in studies of magnetic resonance imaging. Methods: Descriptive study of a case series that included 40 healthy and literate individuals older than 40 years, nine of them men, submitted to a procedure of head and neck magnetic resonance imaging; all of them had near visual acuity better than 20/200 without glasses, and were not underthe effects of ansiolytic medications.Near vision was measured with the Jaeger chart before and immediately after the RM imaging procedure. Measurements were carried out by twodifferent observers; every one of them did not know the results obtained by the other.Results: Means for near vision acuity before and after the magnetic resonance imaging procedure were, respectively, 1.4324 ± 0.4766 m and 1.4375 ± 0.5024 m (p = 0.505).Conclusions: In the evaluated group, no statistically significant change was observed in near vision acuity after head and neck magnetic resonance imaging procedures.
