In situ gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS) use for non-destructive archaeological exploration

Pre-print versionLandscape, Heritage and Paleoenvironment Laboratory, University of Santiago, Spain Geophysical prospection methods are used in archaeology to locate features of archaeological sites before excavation. Among geophysical methods, those mostly used in archaeology are seismic methods, electromagnetical surveys, and georadar. All of them allow assessing properties of soil, sediment and/or rock, providing cross section of soil properties that can be related to buried archaeological structures and objects. Gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS) is a technique used for different geological purposes including mineral exploration and mapping. However, it has not been applied in archaeology: the only study case known by the authors was successful (Moussa, 2001) but no later reports or more extensive studies have been found. In situ GRS is a non-destructive method that allows direct assessment of potassium-40 (40K), uranium-238 (238U) and thorium-232 (232Th) and daughter radionuclides of their decay chains on rock outcrops and soils. Such radionuclides are ubiquitous in most rocks and soils and the main causes of natural gamma radiation. The technique allows assessing their concentration in topsoil, being of potential use for archaeological exploration but two assumptions must be made: the archaeological buried objects must contain a different concentration of radionuclides than the surrounding sediment or soil, and they must be buried in the topsoil (25-30 cm depth). Thus, it is potentially applicable for exploration of shallow structures or objects. However, it does not provide cross -sections of the ground, but maps of the structures and objects buried. In this work, we have tested in situ GRS in an archaeological site that was partially excavated. In the site, remains of walls made of stone have been excavated, being buried in other parts of the site, but near the ground surface, being the top of the structures at 10-30 cm depth. We have tested in situ GRS in small parcel of 10 x 7 m, located beside nearby excavated areas which wall remains are partially buried in the studied parcel. The purpose of the study is to assess if the technique is reliable for the exploration of structures. Rocks used as building materials in the walls are mostly metamorphic rocks of very low radionuclide content with negligible 40K. However, the sediment that uries the structures contains significant amounts of K, U and Th radioisotopes. Results showed reliable results for surface exploration where shallow structures exist, despite the low radioactive content of the archaeological materials in the site.Este trabalho insere-se nas atividades do Projeto Lab2PT- Laboratório de Paisagens, Património e Território - AUR/04509 que tem o apoio financeiro da FCT/MCTES através de fundos nacionais (PIDDAC) e o cofinanciamento do Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), refª POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007528, no âmbito do novo acordo de parceria PT2020 através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Role of IL-33 in Host Response to Candida albicans

Background. Interleukin (IL) 33 is a recently identified pleiotropic cytokine that influences the activity of multiple cell types and orchestrates complex innate and adaptive immune responses. Methods. We performed an extensive review of the literature published between 2005 and 2013 on IL-33 and related cytokines, their functions, and their regulation of the immune system following Candida albicans colonization. Our literature review included cross-references from retrieved articles and specific data from our own studies. Results. IL-33 (IL-1F11) is a recently identified member of the IL-1 family of cytokines. Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role of the IL-33/ST2 axis in host immune defense against fungal pathogens, including C. albicans. IL-33 induces a Th2-type inflammatory response and activates both innate and adaptive immunity. Studies in animal models have shown that Th2 inflammatory responses have a beneficial role in immunity against gastrointestinal and systemic infections by Candida spp. Conclusions. This review summarizes the most important clinical studies and case reports describing the beneficial role of IL-33 in immunity and host defense mechanisms against pathogenic fungi. The finding that the IL-33/ST2 axis is involved in therapeutic target has implications for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, including acute or chronic candidiasis

Aroma composition of commercial truffle flavoured oils: does it really smell like truffle?

The present study analyzes the aromatic and odour volatile profiles of truffle flavoured oils commercialized as “black truffle oil”. The aim of this work is twofold: to define the sensory space associated to these products and to explore the possible fraudulent use of artificial flavouring agents not properly identified on the label. For this purpose, 12 commercial truffle flavoured oils available in the Spanish market were submitted to descriptive sensory analysis by a trained panel. The three oils presenting the most interesting profile (in terms of odour nature and/or complexity) were also analyzed by olfactometric analysis, in order to identify the chemical compounds responsible on their aroma. The correlation of sensory and olfactometric data made it possible to understand some of the sensory differences observed among samples, as well as to identify irregularities with respect to the ingredients labelling of some of the studied samples

Influencia del riego deficitario controlado precosecha sobre la calidad de la cereza ´Prime Giant`

El uso de redes de sensores para el manejo del riego deficitario controlado (RDC) en cerezo puede incidir en la mejora de la productividad del agua, calidad de la fruta y en su comportamiento poscosecha, al permitir el conocimiento y control del estado hídrico del suelo y árbol en todo momento. En el primer año de ensayo, el riego deficitario aplicado en precosecha para satisfacer el 85% de las necesidades máximas del cultivo (ETcg) permitió un ahorro de agua del 17% (380 m3 ha-1) respecto al tratamiento control, que se regó al 110% de la ETcg. Este déficit hídrico ligero no afectó a la producción (16,13 t ha-1) e incluso mejoró la calidad del fruto. Así, en el momento de la cosecha (t0) los frutos bajo déficit ligero presentaron matices más rojos y mayor acidez que los de riego completo. Esta mayor acidez no afectó al índice de madurez debido a la compensación por sólidos solubles totales (SST). El carácter de mayor acidez perduró tras 30 días de conservación en frio (t1) y 5 días de simulación de las condiciones de comercialización (t2). Igualmente, los frutos bajo déficit hídrico presentaron una tendencia a menores pérdidas de peso por deshidratación a finales de los periodos de conservación en frio y de simulación de la comercialización.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2013-49047-C2-1

DESARROLLO CURRICULAR. DEFINICIÓN DE OBJETIVOS DE APRENDIZAJE: PERFIL, COMPETENCIAS, PRINCIPIOS Y CONCEPTOS DE LA ESCUELA UNIVERSITARIA DE ENFERMERÍA VALL D’HEBRON.

Introduction: The objective of this project is to establish the bases to “train nurses capable of integrally developing the different dimensions of their professional role which is defined as a conjunct of skills.” (Blanco et al. 2005)1 Through our experience we are aware that developing skills is not the same as working with different subjects in a study plan. Skills, in general, are more closely linked with the business world and fully-integrated professional tasks. The objectives of the learning process show what is hoped the student will learn in the educational period; what the student should be capable of performing upon finished the learning process which, in our case, is an academic course. Material and methods: the learning process objectives to obtain the Diploma of Nursing at the EUE have been drawn up. The steps to be followed in order to achieve these objectives have been described. Results: a book has been published where the specific objectives by year and level of complexity are described. These include the different programmes to handle information, critical reading, research, communication, and objectives to be carried out during clinical practice sessions. Students and instructors have given their comments on these topics which have been revised annually and improved. Conclusions: with respect to the objectives of the learning process, the students are not only following the proposed institutional objectives, but also personal ones; studying in depth different aspects of greater complexity which were not proposed for this academic year, but for posterior ones.Introducción. Este trabajo pretende poner las bases para “formar enfermeras capaces de desarrollar de forma integrada las diferentes dimensiones de su rol profesional definido en forma de competencias”(Blanco et al. 2005)1. Por experiencia, sabemos que no es lo mismo formar en competencias que desarrollar las diferentes asignaturas de un plan de estudios. Las competencias están más ligadas al mundo de la empresa y al quehacer profesional plenamente integrado. Los objetivos de aprendizaje comunican lo que en el curso educativo se espera que el estudiante aprenda. Lo que el estudiante ha de ser capaz de demostrar al finalizar un periodo de aprendizaje; en nuestro caso, un curso académico. Material y métodos. Se han elaborado los objetivos de aprendizaje de la Diplomatura de Enfermería de la EUI Vall d’Hebron. Se describe el proceso seguido para elaborar los objetivos, los pasos previos a la preparación de los mismos. Resultados. Concreción de los objetivos en un libro por curso y niveles de complejidad diferentes, también quedan incluidos los objetivos de los diferentes programas de habilidades de manejo de la información y lectura crítica, investigación, comunicativas y clínicas, así como los objetivos a realizar en las prácticas clínicas. Se han socializado los objetivos con estudiantes y profesores. Se han revisado anualmente y se han introducido mejoras a los mismos. Conclusiones. Con respecto a los objetivos de aprendizaje los estudiantes están realizando no solo los objetivos institucionales propuestos, sino también objetivos personales, profundizando diferentes aspectos que son de mayor complejidad y que no están propuestos para ese curso académico sino para cursos posteriores

Evaluation of the automatic ELISA Triturus analyser

The objective was to evaluate the automatic ELISA Triturus analyser in order to assess its practicability and imprecision. The analyser was evaluated according to the guidelines of the Spanish Society of Clinical Chemistry. The evaluation was performed in two steps: evaluation of the imprecision and the inaccuracy of a semiquantitative and qualitative technique, and study of the practicability. The within-run imprecision rate ranged from 8.9 (VC) to 10.2% (VC) for the semiquantitative test, and from 11 (VC) to 17.2% (VC) for the qualitative one. The between-run imprecision rate ranged from 6 (VC) to 9.7% (VC) for the semiquantitative test, and from 8.8 (VC) to 18%(VC) for the qualitative technique. No sample-related carryover was detected in negative samples. The relative inaccuracy was correct for both techniques. Non-specific binding caused by waste products from the analysed circuits was not detected. The Triturus analyser is a reliable open analytical system with a considerable working capability, rendering this apparatus adequate for conventional laboratories with a medium-to-high work charge

Polygalacturonase gene FaPG1 downregulation is related to increased strawberry fruit resistance to fungal decay

Plant health is a major target in breading programs because crops are under constant biotic stress, and climate change is exacerbating pests and disease negative impacts in agriculture. Obtaining crop varieties armed with better defences is a potential strategy to reduce losses from biotic attacks. Plant cell walls perform crucial roles on many physiological processes, and under biotic stress, play crucial defensive roles as protecting barrier, as well as a source of integrity signalling molecules. Plant immunity has evolved a complex multi-layered system which first line of defence is initiated by conserved molecular patterns coming from pathogens, named pathogen-associated molecular patterns or PAMPs, or from their own corrupted cell walls due to pathogen invasion, named damaged-associated molecular patterns or DAMPs. Accumulating evidence from cell wall mutants has unveiled several components and mechanisms of plant innate immunity under biotic stresses, mostly in Arabidopsis, but still little is known from species with agronomic interest as strawberry. Our group has an established strawberry transgenic collection of cell wall mutants. Among them, RNAseq expression profiles of FaPG1 mutants has shown downregulation of other cell wall related genes than PG [1], but the mechanisms underneath required further investigation. FaPG genes code for enzymes with endo-PG activity related to oligogalacturonic acid (OGA) release, which would be associated to the changes in gene expression of other cell wall genes than FaPG. In this work, postharvest assays of FaPG1 fruits showed not only the increased fruit firmness typical of this mutant, but a better resistance to fungal infections by Botrytis cinerea, enhancing fruit shelf life in comparison with control fruits.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Influence of dose and route of administration on the outcome of infection with the virulent Neospora caninum isolate Nc-Spain7 in pregnant sheep at mid-gestation

Experimental infections in pregnant sheep have been focused on studying the effect of the time of challenge on the outcome of N. caninum infection, whereas the impact of the dose and route of challenge has not been studied in depth. Therefore, clinical outcome, immune responses, parasite detection and burden, and lesion severity in placental tissues and foetal brains were investigated in 90-day-pregnant sheep inoculated intravenously with 105 (G1), 104 (G2), 103 (G3), or 102 (G4) tachyzoites or subcutaneously with 104 (G5) tachyzoites of the virulent Nc-Spain7 isolate and an uninfected group (G6). Comparing challenge doses, G1 was the only group that had 100% abortion. Likewise, IFN¿ levels in G1 increased earlier than those in other intravenously infected groups, and IgG levels on day 21 post-infection (pi) were higher in G1 than those in other intravenously infected groups. Concerning vertical transmission, G1 shows a higher parasite burden in the foetal brain than did G2 and G3. Comparing routes of administration, no differences in foetal survival rate or parasite load in the foetal brain were found. Although G2 had higher IFN¿ levels than G5 on day 10 pi, no differences were found in humoral immune responses. Because the outcome after intravenous infection with 105 tachyzoites was similar to that observed after intravenous infection with 106 tachyzoites used in a previous work (100% abortion and vertical transmission), we conclude that it may be reasonable to use 105 tachyzoites administered by the intravenous route in further experiments when assessing drugs or vaccine candidates

Movilidad y estructura marital en un aislado español (Babia, León, España)

En este estudio se analiza la movilidad marital en la comarca de Babia (León España), como método para determinar el flujo genético entre los núcleos de población que la conforman. La comarca leonesa de Babia se encuentra situada en las estribaciones de la Cordillera Cantábrica y está constituida por 25 parroquias. Para el estudio se ha recurrido a un total de 3.137 actas matrimoniales contenidas en los libros parroquiales, de las que se ha extraído la información relativa al lugar de nacimiento, lugar de celebración del matrimonio y lugar de establecimiento definitivo de los cónyuges, durante el periodo comprendido entre 1850-1979. Se ha realizado una matriz de procedencias, siendo las casillas que ocupan la diagonal las que muestran una frecuencia más elevada; esto indica que las uniones endógamas, celebradas entre cónyuges nacidos en la misma población, son las más abundantes. Asimismo se ha realizado un análisis clúster mediante un algoritmo UPGMA para poder inferir la relación entre las distintas poblaciones de la comarca, y un análisis de escalamiento multidimensional (MDS) para su representación en un entorno de dos dimensiones. Ambos establecen una clara división en dos grupos poblacionales que no se corresponden con la división administrativa tradicional, existiendo dos parroquias (Torrestío y La Majúa) que muestran un comportamiento diferente al resto de las subpoblaciones motivado muy probablemente por razones geográficas y/o culturales.Asociación de Antropología Biológica de la República Argentin