From multi to single-particle analysis: a seasonal spectroscopic study of airborne particulate matter in Zaragoza, Spain

It is distinguished that deficient outdoor air quality is responsible for substantial health and climate issues. The aim of our study was to investigate the air quality in the city of Zaragoza (Spain) by characterizing atmospheric particulate matter (PM10) during two seasons (winter and spring). PM10 samples were collected in 2022 in quartz filters through a low-volume sampler and chemically analysed by complementary analytical techniques: Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman Spectroscopy (RS) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (FESEM-EDS). Results have revealed, together with a temperature inversion phenomenon in winter, the presence of both natural (Al, Ca, Mg, Ti, Sr, Fe, etc.) and anthropogenic particles. The latter mainly formed by black carbon with an origin on fossil fuel combustion emissions. Additionally, chemical analyses of PM10 filters showed the presence of three types of microplastics suspended in the air of the city: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamides (PA) and polystyrene (PS). The results obtained from this research are of special interest to take into account for future air quality policies, particularly those with the aim of reducing air pollution in cities

Caracterización de aerosoles atmosféricos en la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Zaragoza

El estudio de los aerosoles resulta de gran importancia debido al impacto que tienen sobre la salud humana y el medioambiente. En este TFG se busca caracterizar el PM recogido en la facultad de ciencias de Zaragoza, para lo que se empleará LIBS, ICP-MS, RS y FESEM. Para llevar a cabo el muestreo se empleó un captador de bajo volumen instalado en la azotea de la facultad y se emplearon filtros de fibra de cuarzo, previamente acondicionados.A través de LIBS se detectaron como elementos mayoritarios C, Si, Fe, Mg, Al, Ca, Ti, Na, H, K, Ar y O; y se emplearon ICP-MS y FESEM para corroborar estos resultados. El ICP-permitió detectar un gran número de elementos minoritarios, así como establecer correlaciones estadísticas entre los elementos mayoritarios. Mediante las técnicas RS y FESEM se detectaron distintas fibras plásticas que pueden clasificarse como microplásticos, así como información morfológica de las partículas captadas.<br /

Proximity Trade and Urban Sustainability: Small Retailers' Expectations Towards Local Online Marketplaces

The aim of this research is to identify the expectations offered by small retail businesses towards local online selling platforms as an innovative tool to ensure their future and the urban sustainability. Based on the previous findings obtained from an analysis of trends, actors and marketplaces operating in the retail sector, sixty semi-structured in-depth interviews have been carried out to Spanish local retail managers and owners. Opportunities and risks faced by local online marketplaces are presented from the perspective of small retail stores. Different attitudes towards online shopping platforms have been identified depending on their size, presence and experience in the online world, which has allowed us to categorize local retail businesses in six groups. Despite the perceptual and attitudinal differences between them, it is concluded that merchants have assumed that the current and future business model goes through the digitalization of their businesses and the selling on e-commerce platforms. The coexistence of the e-marketplace and the physical stores, conducted by the same retailers, could have a positive effect on the urban sustainability: on the one hand, with the economic strengthening and renovation of the historical centers and, on the other, with the maintenance of the population and traditional social relationships

Aplicación de análisis de imagen y tecnología NIRS a la evaluación de la porosidad de planchas, láminas y tapones de corcho y su relación con la calidad industrial

La calidad del corcho es una de las cuestiones más relevantes para el sector corchero. Es un proceso complejo que requiere evaluar múltiples factores y manejar simultáneamente variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, en ocasiones, con un alto grado de subjetividad.Se presentan dos objetivos, en primer lugar establecer la relación entre la calidad comercial del corcho y la porosidad medida mediante análisis de imagen en diferentes etapas de la transformación industrial (planchas, láminas y tapones), y en segundo lugar, evaluar el potencial de la tecnología NIRS como método de caracterización de la porosidad y, por tanto, de la calidad industrial. Para ello se ha utilizado un colectivo muestral formado por 479 planchas, 176 láminas y 90 tapones de corcho natural de una pieza, clasificados industrialmente en 4, 2 y 3 clases de calidad, respectivamente. El coeficiente de porosidad se evaluó aplicando técnicas de análisis de imagen, en dos y tres clases de color. Los espectros NIRS se obtuvieron en la sección transversal (planchas y tapones), en la sección tangencial (láminas y tapones) y en la sección radial (tapones), con un espectrofotómetro Foss NIRSystems 6500 SY II, mediante la modalidad de reflectancia remota.El análisis estadístico de la relación entre calidad y coeficiente de porosidad, medido mediante análisis de imagen, permite discriminar dos clases de calidad para planchas y láminas y tres clases para tapones. La clasificación de la imagen en un mayor número de cluster mejora los resultados.Las mejores calibraciones NIRS se obtuvieron para la porosidad medida en 3 clases de color, coincidiendo con los resultados obtenidos mediante análisis de imagen y permiten discriminar dos clases de calidad en planchas (refugo y corcho taponable), las dos clases en láminas (R2=0,83; r2 =0,78) y las tres clases en tapones (R2=0,67; r2=0,53).Debido a las dificultades de automatización del análisis de imagen en las primeras etapas de la transformación industrial, la tecnología NIRS podría ser una herramienta objetiva que permitiera evaluar la porosidad y diferenciar dos clases de calidad en planchas y láminas y tres clases en tapones. AbstractThe quality of cork is one of the most important issues for the cork industry. It is a complex process that requires evaluating many factors and simultaneously handles continuous and discrete variables, sometimes with a high degree of subjectivity.There are two objectives, in first place to establish the relationship between the commercial quality of the cork and the porosity measured by image analysis at different stages of industrial processing (planks, sheets, and stoppers), and in second place, to evaluate the potential of NIRS technology as a method of assessing the porosity and, therefore, the industrial quality. For this, there has been used a sample group formed by 479 planks, 176 sheets and 90 one piece natural cork stoppers, classified industrially into 4, 2 and 3 quality classes, respectively. The coefficient of porosity was evaluated into two and three classes of color by using image analysis techniques. NIRS spectra were obtained in the transverse section (planks and stoppers), in the tangential section (sheets and stoppers) and in the radial section (stoppers), with a spectrophotometer Foss NIRSystems 6500 SY II, by remote reflectance mode.Statistical analysis of the relationship between quality and coefficient of porosity, measured by image analysis, discriminates two quality classes for planks and sheets, and three classes for stoppers. Classifying the image into a larger number of clusters improves the results.Best NIRS calibrations were obtained measuring the porosity into 3 classes of color, matching the results obtained by image analysis. This allow to discriminate two quality classes in planks (refuse and race), the two classes in sheets (R2=0.83; r2 =0.78) and the three classes for stoppers (R2=0.67; r2=0.53).Due to the difficulties of automated image analysis in the early stages of industrial processing, NIRS technology could be an objective tool to evaluate the porosity and to differentiate two classes of quality in planks and sheets, and three classes in stoppers

Aplicación de analisis de imagen y tecnología NIRS a la evaluacion de la porosidad de planchas, láminas y tapones de corcho y su relacion con la calidad industrial

The quality of cork is one of the most important issues for the cork industry. It is a complex process that requires evaluating many factors and simultaneously handles continuous and discrete variables, sometimes with a high degree of subjectivity. There are two objectives, in first place to establish the relationship between the commercial quality of the cork and the porosity measured by image analysis at different stages of industrial processing (planks, sheets, and stoppers), and in second place, to evaluate the potential of NIRS technology as a method of assessing the porosity and, therefore, the industrial quality. For this, there has been used a sample group formed by 479 planks, 176 sheets and 90 one piece natural cork stoppers, classified industrially into 4, 2 and 3 quality classes, respectively. The coefficient of porosity was evaluated into two and three classes of color by using image analysis techniques. NIRS spectra were obtained in the transverse section (planks and stoppers), in the tangential section (sheets and stoppers) and in the radial section (stoppers), with a spectrophotometer Foss NIRSystems 6500 SY II, by remote reflectance mode. Statistical analysis of the relationship between quality and coefficient of porosity, measured by image analysis, discriminates two quality classes for planks and sheets, and three classes for stoppers. Classifying the image into a larger number of clusters improves the results. Best NIRS calibrations were obtained measuring the porosity into 3 classes of color, matching the results obtained by image analysis. This allow to discriminate two quality classes in planks (refuse and race), the two classes in sheets (R2 =0.83; r2 =0.78) and the three classes for stoppers (R2 =0.67; r2 =0.53). Due to the difficulties of automated image analysis in the early stages of industrial processing, NIRS technology could be an objective tool to evaluate the porosity and to differentiate two classes of quality in planks and sheets, and three classes in stoppers.La calidad del corcho es una de las cuestiones más relevantes para el sector corchero. Es un proceso complejo que requiere evaluar múltiples factores y manejar simultáneamente variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, en ocasiones, con un alto grado de subjetividad. Se presentan dos objetivos, en primer lugar establecer la relación entre la calidad comercial del corcho y la porosidad medida mediante análisis de imagen en diferentes etapas de la transformación industrial (planchas, láminas y tapones), y en segundo lugar, evaluar el potencial de la tecnología NIRS como método de caracterización de la porosidad y, por tanto, de la calidad industrial. Para ello se ha utilizado un colectivo muestral formado por 479 planchas, 176 láminas y 90 tapones de corcho natural de una pieza, clasificados industrialmente en 4, 2 y 3 clases de calidad, respectivamente. El coeficiente de porosidad se evaluó aplicando técnicas de análisis de imagen, en dos y tres clases de color. Los espectros NIRS se obtuvieron en la sección transversal (planchas y tapones), en la sección tangencial (láminas y tapones) y en la sección radial (tapones), con un espectrofotómetro Foss NIRSystems 6500 SY II, mediante la modalidad de reflectancia remota. El análisis estadístico de la relación entre calidad y coeficiente de porosidad, medido mediante análisis de imagen, permite discriminar dos clases de calidad para planchas y láminas y tres clases para tapones. La clasificación de la imagen en un mayor número de cluster mejora los resultados. Las mejores calibraciones NIRS se obtuvieron para la porosidad medida en 3 clases de color, coincidiendo con los resultados obtenidos mediante análisis de imagen y permiten discriminar dos clases de calidad en planchas (refugo y corcho taponable), las dos clases en láminas (R2 =0,83; r2 =0,78) y las tres clases en tapones (R2 =0,67; r2 =0,53). Debido a las dificultades de automatización del análisis de imagen en las primeras etapas de la transformación industrial, la tecnología NIRS podría ser una herramienta objetiva que permitiera evaluar la porosidad y diferenciar dos clases de calidad en planchas y láminas y tres clases en tapones

Cardiometabolic Risk Profiles in Patients With Impaired Fasting Glucose and/or Hemoglobin A1c 5.7% to 6.4%: Evidence for a Gradient According to Diagnostic Criteria. The PREDAPS Study

It has been suggested that the early detection of individuals with prediabetes can help prevent cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the current study was to examine the cardiometabolic risk profile in patients with prediabetes according to fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and/or hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) criteria. Cross-sectional analysis from the 2022 patients in the Cohort study in Primary Health Care on the Evolution of Patients with Prediabetes (PREDAPS Study) was developed. Four glycemic status groups were defined based on American Diabetes Association criteria. Information about cardiovascular risk factors-body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, gamma-glutamyltransferase, glomerular filtration-and metabolic syndrome components were analyzed. Mean values of clinical and biochemical characteristics and frequencies of metabolic syndrome were estimated adjusting by age, sex, educational level, and family history of diabetes. A linear trend (P < 0.001) was observed in most of the cardiovascular risk factors and in all components of metabolic syndrome. Normoglycemic individuals had the best values, individuals with both criteria of prediabetes had the worst, and individuals with only one-HbA1c or FPG-criterion had an intermediate position. Metabolic syndrome was present in 15.0% (95% confidence interval: 12.6-17.4), 59.5% (54.0-64.9), 62.0% (56.0-68.0), and 76.2% (72.8-79.6) of individuals classified in normoglycemia, isolated HbA1c, isolated FPG, and both criteria groups, respectively. In conclusion, individuals with prediabetes, especially those with both criteria, have worse cardiometabolic risk profile than normoglycemic individuals. These results suggest the need to use both criteria in the clinical practice to identify those individuals with the highest cardiovascular risk, in order to offer them special attention with intensive lifestyle intervention programs

An Energy-Reduced Mediterranean Diet, Physical Activity, and Body Composition

[ENG]Importance Strategies targeting body composition may help prevent chronic diseases in persons with excess weight, but randomized clinical trials evaluating lifestyle interventions have rarely reported effects on directly quantified body composition. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of a lifestyle weight-loss intervention on changes in overall and regional body composition. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The ongoing Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea-Plus (PREDIMED-Plus) randomized clinical trial is designed to test the effect of the intervention on cardiovascular disease prevention after 8 years of follow-up. The trial is being conducted in 23 Spanish research centers and includes men and women (age 55-75 years) with body mass index between 27 and 40 and metabolic syndrome. The trial reported herein is an interim subgroup analysis of the intermediate outcome body composition after 3-year follow-up, and data analysis was conducted from February 1 to November 30, 2022. Of 6874 total PREDIMED-Plus participants, a subsample of 1521 individuals, coming from centers with access to a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry device, underwent body composition measurements at 3 time points. INTERVENTION Participants were randomly allocated to a multifactorial intervention based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and increased physical activity (PA) or to a control group based on usual care, with advice to follow an ad libitum MedDiet, but no physical activity promotion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The outcomes (continuous) were 3-year changes in total fat and lean mass (expressed as percentages of body mass) and visceral fat (in grams), tested using multivariable linear mixed-effects models. Clinical relevance of changes in body components (dichotomous) was assessed based on 5% or more improvements in baseline values, using logistic regression. Main analyses were performed in the evaluable population (completers only) and in sensitivity analyses, multiple imputation was performed to include data of participants lost to follow-up (intention-to-treat analyses). RESULTS A total of 1521 individuals were included (mean [SD] age, 65.3 [5.0] years; 52.1% men). In comparison with the control group (n=761), participants in the intervention arm (n=760) showed greater reductions in the percentage of total fat (between group differences after 1-year, −0.94% [95% CI, −1.19 to −0.69]; 3 years, −0.38% [95% CI, −0.64 to −0.12] and visceral fat storage after 1 year, -126 g [95% CI, −179 to −73.3 g]; 3 years, −70.4 g [95% CI, −126 to −15.2 g] and greater increases in the percentage of total lean mass at 1 year, 0.88% [95% CI, 0.63%-1.12%]; 3-years 0.34% [95%CI, 0.09%-0.60%]). The intervention group was more likely to show improvements of 5% or more in baseline body components (absolute risk reduction after 1 year, 13% for total fat mass, 11% for total lean mass, and 14% for visceral fat mass; after 3-years: 6% for total fat mass, 6% for total lean mass, and 8% for visceral fat mass). The number of participants needed to treat was between 12 and 17 to attain at least 1 individual with possibly clinically meaningful improvements in body composition. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The findings of this trial suggest a weight-loss lifestyle intervention based on an energy-reduced MedDiet and physical activity significantly reduced total and visceral fat and attenuated age-related losses of lean mass in older adults with overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome. Continued follow-up is warranted to confirm the long-term consequences of these changes on cardiovascular clinical end points.S

Relationship between olive oil consumption and ankle-brachial pressure index in a population at high cardiovascular risk

Background and aims: The aim of this study was to ascertain the association between the consumption of different categories of edible olive oils (virgin olive oils and olive oil) and olive pomace oil and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) in participants in the PREDIMED-Plus study, a trial of lifestyle modification for weight and cardiovascular event reduction in individuals with overweight/obesity harboring the metabolic syndrome. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Consumption of any category of olive oil and olive pomace oil was assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression models were fitted to assess associations between olive oil consumption and ABI. Additionally, ABI ≤1 was considered as the outcome in logistic models with different categories of olive oil and olive pomace oil as exposure. Results: Among 4330 participants, the highest quintile of total olive oil consumption (sum of all categories of olive oil and olive pomace oil) was associated with higher mean values of ABI (beta coefficient: 0.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002, 0.027) (p for trend = 0.010). Logistic models comparing the consumption of different categories of olive oils, olive pomace oil and ABI ≤1 values revealed an inverse association between virgin olive oils consumption and the likelihood of a low ABI (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% CI [0.56, 0.97]), while consumption of olive pomace oil was positively associated with a low ABI (OR 1.22 95% CI [1.00, 1.48]). Conclusions: In a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk, total olive oil consumption was associated with a higher mean ABI. These results suggest that olive oil consumption may be beneficial for peripheral artery disease prevention, but longitudinal studies are needed

Dietary α‐Linolenic Acid, Marine ω‐3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotective role of α‐linolenic acid (ALA), a plant‐derived ω‐3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALA is beneficial in a background of high marine ω‐3 fatty acids (long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA (0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all‐cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society's recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (≥500 mg/day). Methods and Results: We longitudinally evaluated 7202 participants in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios. ALA intake correlated to walnut consumption (r=0.94). During a 5.9‐y follow‐up, 431 deaths occurred (104 cardiovascular disease, 55 coronary heart disease, 32 sudden cardiac death, 25 stroke). The hazard ratios for meeting ALA recommendation (n=1615, 22.4%) were 0.72 (95% CI 0.56–0.92) for all‐cause mortality and 0.95 (95% CI 0.58–1.57) for fatal cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios for meeting the recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n=5452, 75.7%) were 0.84 (95% CI 0.67–1.05) for all‐cause mortality, 0.61 (95% CI 0.39–0.96) for fatal cardiovascular disease, 0.54 (95% CI 0.29–0.99) for fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.49 (95% CI 0.22–1.01) for sudden cardiac death. The highest reduction in all‐cause mortality occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.45–0.87]). Conclusions: In participants without prior cardiovascular disease and high fish consumption, dietary ALA, supplied mainly by walnuts and olive oil, relates inversely to all‐cause mortality, whereas protection from cardiac mortality is limited to fish‐derived long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.Controlled-trials.com/. Unique identifier: ISRCTN35739639

Outlets malls of the future: an approach to customer’s expectations

In recent years, the number of outlets has increased significantly; however, little research has been done with reference to users’ expectations about the outlets in the years to come. Our research tries to determine which expectations customers have about the future outlet mall in terms of stores, entertainment venues and technological innovation, and whether these expectations are conditioned by demographic factors. We examined a sample of 1531 respondents from an online panel survey. We used the chi-square test of independence to compare proportions among demographic characteristics. Our findings showed that there are significant differences between men’s and women’s expectations when analysing stores categories. Personal factors, like age and occupation, condition preferences over leisure activities and technological innovations. These results represent an important starting point for decision makers who wish to manage outlet malls based on a customer-centric strategy