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Purpose: Coccidioidomycosis, caused by the Coccidioidesspecies, is a well-known disease in the Southwestern United States and North Mexico, with scattered reports in Latin America countries. While this disease is still rare in Japan and other Asian countries, its incidence has been increasing over the last two decades. Coccidioides species are highly infectious and require caution when encountered. This study presents a case series of chronic pulmonary coccidioidomycosis surgically treated at a single institution. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of six patients who underwent lung resection for pulmonary coccidioidomycosis at Chiba University Hospital between January 2007 and December 2021. Results: All six patients had travelled to the Southwestern United States. Preoperative serology was negative for the anti-Coccidioides antibody in four patients and positive in two. Chest computed tomography revealed a single, well-defined round nodule in all patients. Preoperative biopsy taken from three patients failed to obtain a definitive diagnosis. Histopathological examination of the resected pulmonary nodules revealed granulomas that contained numerous spherules with many endospores, thereby confirming the diagnosis of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. Conclusions: Pulmonary coccidioidomycosis should be suspected based on travel history and radiological findings. Meticulous care should be taken during specimen processing to prevent cross infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of flood hazards allows planning the cities layout or flood protection infrastructure appropriately. Flood maps showing flow depths and velocities are not enough to assess hazards to people, because such hazards depend on factors producing equilibrium loss in pedestrians crossing flooded streets. An experimental facility was used considering typical street geometry in Mexico. Volunteers with the typical physical characteristics of Mexicans were subject to different combinations of flow depth and velocity. A hazard nomogram is developed through extensive experimental work, representing three levels to characterize hazard criteria for persons during urban floods. Previous works associated with the construction of nomograms had not been validated through extensive experimental work. Hazard maps identifying zones classified in relation to hazard levels are based on nomograms. These maps allow for guiding public policies related to extreme meteorological events. The resulting nomogram is applied to define hazard maps in the city of Acapulco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2000, the city of Chihuahua had a distribution system of treated wastewater for irrigation of green areas and has replaced this water for processes that do not require the consumption of drinking water. This replacement was necessary in order to meet the growing demand for potable water, which has exceeded the current supply of 700 L (184,88 gallons) per second. Nowadays it is necessary to identify and assess the risks to public health and the environment due to the substitution of drinking water by treated wastewater in the last 10 yr. Treated wastewater contains compounds whose effects have not been evaluated when used for irrigation in public green areas. Therefore, it is not known whether there is a danger to the health of park visitors due to exposure and/or inhalation of the emitted gases, accidental ingestion of water, or impact to the environment. The purpose of the research, using an experimental prototype, is to identify the changes from nitrogen present in the treated wastewater to nitrous oxide. The research objective is the generation of data to simulate a regional scale at this stage, which will be analyzed and statistically validated using Minitab and Origin software. The experiment was performed using three different samples to compare water quality: drinking water, treated wastewater, and water with nitrogen-based fertilizer (urea). Prototypes were filled with two types of soil: sand and clay. Each type of water was sprinkled on the prototype, grass was planted in it, and the prototype was equipped with samplers to capture the gas in the root zone. The authors found high emissions of nitrous oxide in the clay-filled lysimeters, and climate and growing conditions of vegetation were the most important factors for producing nitrous oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ingeniería Hidráulica en México is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hurricanes cause great damage in the tropics and due to its geographical location, Mexico experiences the landfall of such storms along both coasts as it covers 2 different cyclogenesis areas: the Eastern Pacific and the North Atlantic basins. For two catchments in southern Mexico, a set of weather prediction, hydrological and hydraulic models were used in cascade to simulate precipitation, runoff and flood maps observed during the extreme flooding that occurred in September 2013. The flood resulted from the rare simultaneous occurrence of 2 tropical cyclones and the framework provided an adequate numerical reproduction. Results show the usefulness of this approach by considering uncertainty limits that can be used for urban planning and development purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]