Development and Implementation of Electronic Applications based on Arduino Platform for a First Basic Course

This paper shows a learning guide about the use of Arduino platform and the different utilities that can be implemented based on this platform for a first basic course. The paper can be useful as a guide for someone who wants to start in the world of microcontroller programming, with examples to consolidate the knowledge learned. Some students of the School of Industrial Engineering of the University of Malaga (Degree in Industrial Design) approach the study of an engineering career with little knowledge of electronics. This degree contains basic skills on learning electronics and the use of the Arduino platform and its development possibilities can offer students an interesting view of electronics, making better use of classes. The work is based on both theoretical (to make the components known) and practical (using real assemblies) development to consolidate the knowledge learned. Therefore, once the basic components necessary to carry out various practices have been explained, the theoretical performance and the programming of Arduino is explained and the various practices that will be set up in the laboratory are presented, as an application of Arduino for different uses. The main idea of this work is to replace the traditional laboratory practices that require more advanced knowledge in electronics with a set of simple practices carried out in Arduino that allow students to have an approximate idea of basic electronics with little knowledge. After three years of carrying out this new methodology for this first basic electronic course, the surveys demonstrate a better adaptation of the students to the study of electronics. In addition, the marks obtained have improved considerably and the students have the sensation of learning electronics in a simple and fun way.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

La inoculación de Azospirillum brasilense mejora la calidad de las plántulas de un mezquite (Prosopis juliflora)

Inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobacteria in plants can improve their growth and physiological status, which could be particularly important for agricultural and forestry plants used for the revegetation of arid areas. Prosopis juliflora is a forest pioneer species that is drought resistant and has multiple uses (fodder, shade and shelter for livestock; timber and firewood, live fences and windbreaks in agroforestry systems). Azospirillum brasilense is a rhizobacterium that improves the growth of many agricultural crops. The hypothesis of this study was that P. juliflora seedlings produced in the nursery can respond positively to inoculation with A. brasilense CECT 590. Five months after inoculation, we examined the growth, water relations (osmotic potential at full turgor, osmotic potential at zero turgor, and the modulus of elasticity at full turgor), and concentration and content of macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) in the seedlings. Subsequently, a trial was conducted to analyse root growth potential. A. brasilense CECT 590 inoculation caused an osmotic adjustment in P. juliflora seedlings but decreased the elasticity of the cell walls. Inoculation with A. brasilense CECT 590 significantly improved plant growth due in part to an increase of N concentration in the seedlings. A. brasilense CECT 590 inoculation also caused an increase in the root growth potential. The increased growth of P. juliflora seedlings inoculated with A. brasilense was probably caused by more than one mechanism. Inoculation with A. brasilense at the nursery may be a suitable technique for producing improved seedling material for restoration purposes.La inoculación de hongos de micorrizacion y rizobacterias en las plantas puede mejorar su crecimiento y calidad fisiológica, especialmente en plantas agrícolas y forestales empleadas para la regeneración de zonas áridas. Prosopis juliflora es una especie forestal pionera, resistente a la sequía, y de usos múltiples (forraje, sombra y cobijo para el ganado, madera y leña, cercas vivas y cortinas cortavientos en sistemas agroforestales). Azospirillum brasilense es una rizobacteria que mejora el crecimiento de muchos cultivos agrícolas. La hipótesis de este estudio fue que las plántulas de P. juliflora producidas en vivero pueden responder positivamente a la inoculación con A. brasilense CECT 590. Cinco meses después desde la inoculación, se analizó el crecimiento, relaciones hídricas (potencial osmótico en saturación, potencial osmótico en el punto de pérdida de turgencia, y módulo de elasticidad a total turgor), concentración y contenido de macronutrientes (N, P, K, Ca y Mg) en las plántulas. Posteriormente se realizó un ensayo para analizar el Potencial de Crecimiento Radical. La inoculación de A. brasilense CECT 590 causó un ajuste osmótico de las plántulas de P. juliflora, pero disminuyó la elasticidad de las paredes celulares. A. brasilense CECT 590 mejoró significativamente el crecimiento de la planta, debido en parte al incremento de la concentración de N en las plántulas. La inoculación con A. brasilense CECT 590 también causó un incremento del potencial de crecimiento radical. El incremento del crecimiento en las plántulas de P. juliflora inoculadas con A. brasilense fue probablemente debido a más de un mecanismo. La inoculación con A. brasilense en vivero puede ser una técnica adecuada para la producción de material de plántulas mejorado con fines de restauración

Experience of parents who have suffered a perinatal death in two Spanish hospitals: a qualitative study

Background: Perinatal grief is a process that affects families in biological, psychological, social and spiritual terms. It is estimated that every year there are 2.7 million perinatal deaths worldwide and 4.43 deaths for every 1000 births in Spain. The aim of this study is to describe and understand the experiences and perceptions of parents who have suffered a perinatal death. Methods: A qualitative study based on Gadamer’s hermeneutic phenomenology. The study was conducted in two hospitals in the South of Spain. Thirteen mothers and eight fathers who had suffered a perinatal death in the 5 years prior to the study participated in this study. In-depth interviews were carried out for data collection. Inductive analysis was used to find themes based on the data. Results: Eight sub-themes emerged, and they were grouped into three main themes: ‘Perceiving the threat and anticipating the baby’s death: “Something is going wrong in my pregnancy”’; ‘Emotional outpouring: the shock of losing a baby and the pain of giving birth to a stillborn baby’; “We have had a baby”: The need to give an identity to the baby and legitimise grief’. Conclusion: The grief suffered after a perinatal death begins with the anticipation of the death, which relates to the mother’s medical history, symptoms and premonitions. The confirmation of the death leads to emotional shock, characterised by pain and suffering. The chance to take part in mourning rituals and give the baby the identity of a deceased baby may help in the grieving and bereavement process. Having empathy for the parents and notifying them of the death straightaway can help ease the pain. Midwives can help in the grieving process by facilitating the farewell rituals, accompanying the family, helping in honouring the memory of the baby, and supporting parents in giving the deceased infant an identity that makes them a family member

Blast wave dynamics: The influence of the shape of the explosive

A numerical model is developed to analyse the influence of the shape of a high-explosive on the dynamics of the generated pressure wave. A Multi-Material Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (MM-ALE) technique is used as the CONWEP approach is not adequate to model such situations. Validation and verification of the proposed numerical model is achieved based on experimental data obtained from the bibliography. The numerical model provides relevant information that cannot be obtained from the experimental results. The influence of the mass and shape of the high-explosive is studied and correlated to the dynamics of the generated blast wave through the analysis of peak pressures, time of arrival and impulse. Tests are done with constant mass hemispherical, cylindrical and flat-shaped Formex F4HV samples. A detailed analysis of the generated blast wave is done, along with a thorough comparison between incident and reflected waves. It is concluded that the dynamic effects of the reflected pressure pulses should always be considered in structural design, most relevantly when analysing closed structures where the number of reflections can be significant. The model is proved reliable, concluding that the frontal area of the high-explosive is a determinant driving parameter for the impulse generated by the blast. (C)2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This research was done with the financial support of the mobility internship for researchers of Carlos III University of Madrid (Spain) (“Programa propio de investigación - Convocatoria 2014 movilidad”)

Occupational exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and other parental risk factors in hypospadias and cryptorchidism development: a case–control study

Aim of the study: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous agents that are capable of altering the endocrine system functions, including the regulation of developmental processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between EDC exposure and other parental factors in the etiology of hypospadias and cryptorchidism. Methods: A case–control study was conducted. Cases (n = 210) were infants aged between 6 months and 14 years diagnosed with hypospadias or cryptorchidism who attended the authors' hospital over a period of 18 months, and controls (n = 210) were infants within the same range of age and without any urological disorders who attended the outpatient clinic of the same hospital during the same time period. Their selection was independent of exposures. Data on parental occupational exposure to EDCs and other sociodemographic variables were collected through face-to-face interviews and systematically for both cases and controls. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated to control for confounding with their 95% confidence interval (CI) by means of logistic regressions. Specifically, three final models of a dichotomous outcome were constructed: one for cryptorchidism, one for hypospadias, and the third considering both malformations together. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to assess the goodness of fit of the models. Their discriminatory accuracy (DA) was ascertained by estimating their areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves area under the curve (AUC) along with their 95% CI. Results: Associations were found between advanced maternal age (OR adjusted = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.14–2.92), mother's consumption of anti-abortives (OR = 5.40; 95% CI: 1.40–38.5) and other drugs (OR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.31–3.16) during pregnancy, maternal and paternal occupational exposure to EDCs (OR = 4.08; 95% CI: 2.03–8.96 and OR = 3.90; 95% CI: 2.41–6.48, respectively), fathers smoking (OR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.33–2.99), and fathers with urological disorders (OR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.15–4.90). Maternal and paternal high educational level could be protective of cryptorchidism (OR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.28–0.76 and OR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.42–0.93, respectively). The DA of the models for the whole sample (AUC = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.70–0.79) for cryptorchidism (AUC = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.71–0.82) and for hypospadias (AUC = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.69–0.81) was moderately high. Conclusions: Advanced age, some parental occupational exposure to EDCs, some drug consumption, smoking, and the father's history of urological disorders may increase risk and predict the developments of these malformations. Studies with higher samples sizes are needed to assess associations between individual EDC occupational exposures and drugs and these malformations. [Table presented

Efectos de un programa escolar orientado a la mejora de la condición física sobre el perfil lipídico de adolescentes: estudio EDUFIT

Observational studies have reported an association among physical activity, fitness and lipid profile in youth. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of a school-based intervention focused on increasing the number and intensity of Physical Education (PE) sessions a week, on adolescents' lipid profile. METHODS: A 4-month group-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 67 adolescents (12-14 years-old) from South-East Spain, 2007. Three school classes were randomly allocated into control group (CG), experimental group-1 (EG1) and experimental group-2 (EG2). The CG received the usual PE in Spain (2 sessions/week), the EG1 received 4 PE sessions/week, and the EG2 received 4 PE sessions/week of high intensity. The main study outcomes were fasting levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) and triglycerides. All the analyses were adjusted for sex, sexual maturation, attendance and baseline value of the outcome studied. RESULTS: The intervention did not positively affect cardio-metabolic parameters except for LDLc, that was marginally yet significantly reduced in EG2 (-10.4 mg/dl), compared with the CG (+4.1 mg/dl) (p = 0.04); no differences were observed however for the LDLc/HDLc ratio. No significant effects were observed in EG1. DISCUSSION: Overall, a 4-month school-based physical activity intervention did not substantially influence lipid profile in adolescents. However, the results suggest that increasing both frequency and intensity of PE sessions had a modest effect on LDLc in youth. Future studies involving larger sample sizes and longer interventions should focus on the separate effects of volume and intensity of PE.Objetivos: Los estudios observacionales han notificado una asociación entre la actividad física, la forma física y el perfil lipídico en la juventud. El propósito de este estudio fue analizar el efecto de una intervención basada en la escuela centrada en aumentar el número y la intensidad de las sesiones de educación física (EF) a lo largo de la semana, en el perfil lipídico de los adolescentes. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio controlado de distribución aleatoria en 67 adolescentes (12-14 2013s) del sudeste de España, en 2007. Tres clases fueron distribuidas al azar a un grupo control (GC), un grupo experimental-1 (GE1) y un grupo experimental-2 (GE2). El GC recibió las sesiones habituales de EF en España (2 sesiones semanales), el GE1 recibió 4 sesiones de EF /semana y el GE2 recibió 4 sesiones de EF /semana de alta intensidad. Los criterios de valoración principales del estudio fueron las concentraciones en ayunas de colesterol toral, lipoproteínas de densidad elevada-colesterol (HDLc), lipoproteínas de densidad baja-colesterol (LDLc) y de triglicéridos. Se ajustaron todos los análisis para el sexo, maduración sexual, asistencia y valor basal de la variable estudiada. Resultados: La intervención no afectó de forma positiva a los parámetros cardiovasculares a excepción de las LDLc que disminuyeron marginal aunque significativamente en el GE2 (-10,4 mg/dl), en comparación del GC (+4,1 mg/dl) (p = 0,04); sin embargo, no se observaron diferencias para el cociente LDLc/HDLc ratio. No se observaron efectos significativos en el GE1. Discusión: De forma global, una intervención de actividad física basada en la escuela durante 4 meses no influyó de forma sustancial en el perfil lipídico de los adolescentes. Sin embargo, los resultados sugieren que el aumentar tanto la frecuencia como la intensidad de las sesiones de EF tiene un efecto modesto sobre las LDLc en los jóvenes. Los estudios futuros que impliquen una muestra mayor e intervenciones más duraderas deberían centrarse en los efectos separados del volumen e intensidad de la EF

Longitudinal algorithms to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness: associations with nonfatal cardiovascular disease and disease-specific mortality

Objectives This study sought to determine the capacity of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) algorithms without exercise testing to predict the risk for nonfatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and disease-specific mortality. Background Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is not routinely measured, as it requires trained personnel and specialized equipment. Methods Participants were 43,356 adults (21% women) from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, followed up between 1974 and 2003. Estimated CRF was determined on the basis of sex, age, body mass index, waist circumference, resting heart rate, physical activity level, and smoking status. Actual CRF was measured by a maximal treadmill test. Risk reduction per 1-metabolic equivalent increase, discriminative ability (c statistic), and net reclassification improvement were determined. Results During a median follow-up of 14.5 years, 1,934 deaths occurred, 627 due to CVD. In a subsample of 18,095 participants, 1,049 cases of nonfatal CVD events were ascertained. After adjustment for potential confounders, both measured and estimated CRF were inversely associated with risks for all-cause mortality, CVD-related mortality and nonfatal CVD events in men, and all-cause mortality and nonfatal CVD events in women. The risk reduction per 1-metabolic equivalent increase ranged from approximately 10% to 20%. Measured CRF had a slightly better discriminative ability (c statistic) than did estimated CRF, and the net reclassification improvement values in measured CRF versus estimated CRF were 12.3% in men (p < 0.05) and 19.8% in women (p < 0.001). Conclusions These CRF algorithms utilized information routinely collected to obtain an estimate of CRF, which provides a valid indication of health status. In addition to identifying people at risk, this method can provide more appropriate exercise recommendations that reflect initial CRF levels

Theoretical Modeling of Low-Energy Electronic Absorption Bands in Reduced Cobaloximes

The reduced Co^I states of cobaloximes are powerful nucleophiles that play an important role in the hydrogen-evolving catalytic activity of these species. In this work we analyze the low-energy electronic absorption bands of two cobaloxime systems experimentally and use a variety of density functional theory and molecular orbital ab initio quantum chemical approaches. Overall we find a reasonable qualitative understanding of the electronic excitation spectra of these compounds but show that obtaining quantitative results remains a challenging task