Predicting the energy consumption of heated plastic greenhouses in south-eastern Spain

[ENG] Measurements of heat consumption in a parral type greenhouse, equipped with an air-heating system, were carried out in south-eastern Spain (Almería) during the 1998/99 winter. From the daily values of heat consumption (Qd, MJ m-2 d-1) recorded in five identical greenhouses heated to different night temperature set-points (Tc), and data of minimum outside air temperature (Te,min), relationships between Qd and the temperature difference (ΔTmin = Tc – Te,min) were established. Linear regressions between Qd and ΔTmin gave satisfactory fits (R2 ranging from 0.75 to 0.83), considering that Te,min was the only input data for the model. When all data were pooled, the correlation was curvilinear, the best fit to a 2nd order polynomial being Qd = 0.049 ΔTmin 2 – 0.001 ΔTmin + 1.107 (R2 = 0.89). Validation of this model was performed using data obtained during other years, giving a fair agreement at the daily (R2 = 0.86), 10-day (R2 = 0.95) and yearly (R2 = 0.99) time scales. This simple model could be of interest to growers for decision-making related to the choice of set-point temperature and crop planning in heated greenhouses.[ESP] Se realizaron medidas de consumo de energía de la calefacción por aire caliente en invernaderos tipo parral durante la campaña 1998/99 en el sureste de España (Almería). Se determinaron relaciones adecuadas, para cinco invernaderos calentados a diferentes temperaturas nocturnas de consigna (Tc), entre los valores de consumos diarios de energía (Qd, MJ m-2 d-1) y la diferencia (ΔTmin) entre la temperatura de consigna de calefacción y la temperatura mínima exterior (Te,min). La regresión lineal entre Qd y ΔTmin fue satisfactoria (R2 varió entre 0,75 y 0,83), considerando que Te,min fue la única variable de entrada para el modelo. Cuando se analizaron todos los datos en conjunto, la correlación fue curvilínea, siendo el mejor ajuste para un polinomio de 2º orden, Qd = 0,049 ΔTmin 2 – 0,001 ΔTmin + 1,107 (R2 = 0,89). La validación de este modelo fue realizada utilizando datos de otros años, mostrando un ajuste adecuado para los periodos diarios (R2 = 0,86), 10-días (R2 = 0,95) y anuales (R2 = 0,99). Este sencillo modelo puede ser de interés para los agricultores a la hora de tomar decisiones sobre el mercado, escoger la temperatura de consigna y programar el periodo de calefacción del invernadero

Adaptation and Testing of the Factorial Structure of the Physical Education Grit Scale for Use in Secondary Education in Spain

The challenges faced by students during Physical Education classes embrace both physical and academic aspects. Therefore, each individual possesses a series of internal psychological mechanisms, such as Grit, which allow them to adapt and overcome the vicissitudes. However, there are no scales that assess Grit in Span. Thus, the aim of the present study is to test the factor structure of the Physical Education Grit Scale in Span of Physical Education classes. For this purpose, 857 secondary school students took part in the present study. In order to test the factor structure, a confirmatory factor analysis, an exploratory factor analysis, an analysis of the reliability of the questionnaire and an analysis of temporal stability were carried out. The results showed that the factor structure consisted of two factors and four sub-factors (¿2/df = 2.17 (p = 0.001); CFI = 0.96; TLI = 0.96; IFI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.051; SRMR = 0.037). In addition, the reliability and temporal stability analyses showed acceptable indices. Based on these results, evidence of reliability and validity of the Physical Education Grit Scale in Span of Physical Education is provided

Endometrial study in patients with postmenopausal metrorrhagia

Introduction: The aim of the study was to devise a strategy to diagnose malign endometrial pathologies (adenocarcinoma or atypical hyperplasia) that minimizes the number of invasive tests done (hysteroscopy, aspiration biopsy or curettage) with no loss of its detection efficiency. Material and methods: We retrospectively studied the clinical histories of 779 postmenopausal women at the University Hospital Complex of Albacete, for whom an endometrial study had been done (hysteroscopy, aspiration biopsy or curettage) with a 1-year follow-up between 1 March 2006 and 31 March 2008. Results: There were 77 cases of a malignant pathology (66 adenocarcinomas and 11 hyperplasias with atypia); 96.1% had metrorrhagia, and there were only 3 cases of asymptomatic patients (all 3 presented endometrial thickness of > 5 mm: 10, 12 and 15 mm). The sensitivity and specificity of the transvaginal ultrasound, with a 5 mm cut-off point to diagnose a malignant pathology, were 98.4% and 30.1%, respectively; 89.1% and 99.6%, respectively, for aspiration biopsy; 83.9% and 99.1%, respectively, for hysteroscopy without biopsy; and both were 100% for biopsy. Statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05 and confidence intervals were calculated at 95%. Conclusions: In postmenopausal women with metrorrhagia, the first action to take is to do a transvaginal ultrasound, followed by en endometrial study, but only if the endometrium is irregular or endometrial thickness is > 5 mm; in asymptomatic women, the cut-off point should be set at 10 mm. The immediate method of choice is an ambulatory biopsy

Magnetic effect in viscosity of magnetorheological fluids

ABSTRACT: In this work the study of viscosity is presented for a magnetorheological fluid made from iron oxides micrometre, under an external magnetic field. The material was characterized by magnetic loops in a vibrating sample magnetometer and its crystal structure by X-ray diffraction. The results show that saturation magnetization and coercive field have dependence with the powder size. The material has different crystal structure which lattice parameters were determined by Rietveld refinement. The viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid was measured by a viscometer with rotational symmetry with and without external field. This result evidence a dependency on the size, percentage iron oxide and the applied magnetic field, it is due to the hydrodynamic volume of iron oxide interacts with the external magnetic field, increasing the flow resistance

Characterization and winemaking application of a novel pectin-degrading enzyme complex from Aspergillus sojae ATCC 20235

A novel pectin-degrading enzyme complex produced by Aspergillus sojae ATCC 20235 (PC-AS) using lowcost substrates was characterised in terms of its enzyme activities relevant in winemaking. This novel PC-AS was applied at the maceration/fermentation stage during the elaboration of 'Tempranillo' red wines to study its effect on colour development and the phenolic and amino acid wine composition. PC-AS polygalacturonase activity was the major enzyme activity detected and quantified under winemaking conditions (pH 3.5, 20 °C) and proved being stable and active in the presence of sulfur dioxide. Xylanase activity, albeit in lesser amounts, was also present in PC-AS, and neither pectinesterase, which produces methanol, nor β-glucosidase, which is detrimental to wine colour, were detected in PC-AS. This pectin-degrading complex promoted a faster colour extraction since maximum colour intensity of the enzyme treated wines was reached earlier compared to their controls. After 6 months of storage under winery conditions, wines elaborated with PC-AS presented higher concentrations of caffeic acid, coumaric acid and aspartic acid (p ˂ 0.05), suggesting an improved extraction of grape cell components. In conclusion, the application of PCAS yielded results that showed that it can be used in red winemaking to shorten the maceration time needed to reach high CI values and to improve the extraction of some phenolics and other compounds that enhance the quality of the final product.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Dynamics of a model of Toxoplasmosis disease in human and cat populations

AbstractA mathematical model for the transmission of Toxoplasmosis disease in human and cat populations is proposed and analyzed. We explore the dynamics of the Toxoplasmosis disease at the population level using an epidemiological type model. Discussion of the basic concepts of the Toxoplasmosis transmission dynamics on human and cat populations are presented. The cats in this model plays a role of infectious agents and host of the protozoan Toxoplasma Gondii parasite. Qualitative dynamics of the model is determined by the basic reproduction number, R0. If the threshold parameter R0<1, then the solution converges to the disease free equilibrium point. On the other hand if R0>1 the convergence is to the endemic equilibrium point. Numerical simulations of the model illustrates several different dynamics depending on the threshold parameter R0 and show the importance of this parameter

Characterization and winemaking application of a novel pectin-degrading enzyme complex from Aspergillus sojae ATCC 20235

A novel pectin-degrading enzyme complex produced by Aspergillus sojae ATCC 20235 (PC-AS) using lowcost substrates was characterised in terms of its enzyme activities relevant in winemaking. This novel PC-AS was applied at the maceration/fermentation stage during the elaboration of 'Tempranillo' red wines to study its effect on colour development and the phenolic and amino acid wine composition. PC-AS polygalacturonase activity was the major enzyme activity detected and quantified under winemaking conditions (pH 3.5, 20 °C) and proved being stable and active in the presence of sulfur dioxide. Xylanase activity, albeit in lesser amounts, was also present in PC-AS, and neither pectinesterase, which produces methanol, nor β-glucosidase, which is detrimental to wine colour, were detected in PC-AS. This pectin-degrading complex promoted a faster colour extraction since maximum colour intensity of the enzyme treated wines was reached earlier compared to their controls. After 6 months of storage under winery conditions, wines elaborated with PC-AS presented higher concentrations of caffeic acid, coumaric acid and aspartic acid (p ˂ 0.05), suggesting an improved extraction of grape cell components. In conclusion, the application of PCAS yielded results that showed that it can be used in red winemaking to shorten the maceration time needed to reach high CI values and to improve the extraction of some phenolics and other compounds that enhance the quality of the final product.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

What does literature teach about digital pathology? A bibliometric study in Web of Science

La patología digital (DIPA) se ha convertido en una disciplina efectiva que genera un entorno gráfico para diagnosticar e interpretar la información patológica de las personas. Al analizar la literatura existente sobre DIPA, se produjo una brecha de conocimiento al no informar un estudio que ha analizado bibliométricamente las publicaciones sobre el tema. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la producción científica y el rendimiento alcanzado por el término patología digital en la base de datos de Web of Science (WoS). Para ello, se ha llevado a cabo una metodología basada en la bibliometría, complementada con la técnica de mapeo científico para buscar, registrar, analizar y predecir la literatura científica sobre el estado de la cuestión. Hemos trabajado con una unidad de análisis de 1222 documentos reportados desde la base de datos de WoS. Los resultados muestran que no hay un tema de investigación en el campo de estudio de DIPA que se destaque del resto. Se puede observar una brecha conceptual en el desarrollo temático, dado que no hay un tema que se repita en todos los periodos, donde las conexiones son más temáticas que conceptuales. Hay documentos clave para diferentes temas. Los temas principales han sido muy diferentes a lo largo de los años como la telepatología y la inteligencia artificial.Digital pathology (DIPA) has become an effective discipline that generates a graphic environment to diagnose and interpret the pathological information of people. When analyzing the existing literature on DIPA, a knowledge gap was produced by not reporting a study that has bibliometrically analyzed the publications on the subject. The objective of this study is to analyze the scientific production and performance achieved by the term digital pathology in the Web of Science (WoS) database. For this, a methodology based on bibliometrics has been carried out, complemented by the scientific mapping technique to search, recorder, analyze and predict the scientific literature on the state of question. We have worked with an analysis unit of 1222 documents reported from WoS database. The results show that there is no research topic in the field of study of DIPA that stands out from the rest. A conceptual gap can be observed in the thematic development, given that there is no theme that is repeated in all periods, where the connections are more thematic than conceptual. There are key documents for different topics. The main themes have been very different over the years like telepathology and artificial intelligence

Productive Partnerships: An effective instrument for the inclusion of vulnerable population groups in diverse contexts of Colombia

In Colombia, rural development requires institutional frameworks that help to reduce the current rural-urban divide. Policy instruments that promote productivity improvements, inclusion, and collective action focused on strengthening rural competitiveness are crucial. Twelve years of experience gained from the implementation of the Rural Productive Partnerships Project (PAAP), run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) with support from the World Bank, provides useful lessons in this regard. The importance of these lessons learned is highlighted by the results of a recent study of the Linking Farmers to Markets team of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), funded by the Ford Foundation. This study not only provides an overview of the positive innovative aspects of PAAP, but also proposes necessary adjustments to increase its impact

Lesiones premalignas y malignas en cirugía menor de un centro de salud. Las apariencias engañan

ObjetivoDescribir las características de las lesiones malignas y premalignas detectadas en las intervenciones de cirugía menor realizadas en un centro de saludDiseñoEstudio descriptivo retrospectivoParticipantesSe analizaron 682 lesiones correspondientes a todas las lesiones extirpadas remitidas a anatomía patológica, exceptuando los quistes epidérmicos y triquilemales, lipomas, molluscum, verrugas vulgares y uñasEmplazamientoCentro de Salud Rochapea (Pamplona)Mediciones principalesAnalizamos los diagnósticos anatomopatológicos y la distribución por sexos, grupos de edad, localización, técnica y afección de bordes en 27 lesiones displásicas y 11 lesiones malignasResultadosEncontramos una mayor frecuencia de lesiones malignas y premalignas en mujeres, entre 15 y 44 años de edad para las displasias y entre 45 y 64 años para las malignas. La localización más frecuente fue la espalda, y la técnica más empleada la escisión fusiforme. Con esta técnica encontramos el mayor porcentaje de bordes sin lesión en las displasias. Las lesiones que tenían afectados los bordes corresponden a muestras de punch y escisión circular. Ninguna de las lesiones malignas presentaba afección de bordesConclusionesLa mayor parte de las lesions malignas no se sospechan, aparecen en muestras que se remiten con un diagnóstico de benignidad. El empleo de ciertas técnicas como la escisión fusiforme en las lesiones en que existe una potencial malignidad, aunque en principio parezcan benignas, nos permite una extirpación con bordes libresObjectiveTo describe the characteristics of the malignant and pre-malignant lesions found in the minor surgical interventions performed at a health centreDesignRetrospective, descriptive studyParticipants682 lesions: all the lesions extirpated and referred to pathology except for epidermal and trichilemmal cysts, lipomas, molluscum, common warts, and nailsSettingRochapea Health Centre, PamplonaMain measurementsWe analysed the anatomical-pathological results and the distribution by sex, age-group, location, technique and edges affected in 27 dysplasias and 11 malignant lesionsResultsWe found that malignant and premalignant lesions were more common in women, aged 15 to 44 for dysplasias and 45- 64 for malignant lesions. The most common location was on the back; the most frequent technique, fusiform excision. This technique had the highest percentage of edges without lesion in dysplasias. The lesions whose edges were affected corresponded to punch and circular excision samples. None of the malignant lesions had their edges affectedConclusionsMost malignant lesions are not suspected. They appear in samples referred with a diagnosis of benign. Employment of techniques such as fusiform excision in lesions which are potentially malign, even though in principle they seem benign, enables them to be extirpated with free edge