How Bees Respond Differently to Field Margins of Shrubby and Herbaceous Plants in Intensive Agricultural Crops of the Mediterranean Area

(1) Intensive agriculture has a high impact on pollinating insects, and conservation strategies targeting agricultural landscapes may greatly contribute to their maintenance. The aim of this work was to quantify the effect that the vegetation of crop margins, with either herbaceous or shrubby plants, had on the abundance and diversity of bees in comparison to non-restored margins. (2) The work was carried out in an area of intensive agriculture in southern Spain. Bees were monitored visually and using pan traps, and floral resources were quantified in crop margins for two years. (3) An increase in the abundance and diversity of wild bees in restored margins was registered, compared to non-restored margins. Significant differences in the structure of bee communities were found between shrubby and herbaceous margins. Apis mellifera and mining bees were found to be more polylectic than wild Apidae and Megachilidae. The abundance of A. mellifera and mining bees was correlated to the total floral resources, in particular, to those offered by the Boraginaceae and Brassicaceae; wild Apidae and Megachilidae were associated with the Lamiaceae. (4) This work emphasises the importance of floral diversity and shrubby plants for the maintenance of rich bee communities in Mediterranean agricultural landscapes

Methods and Tools for Objective Assessment of Psychomotor Skills in Laparoscopic Surgery

Training and assessment paradigms for laparoscopic surgical skills are evolving from traditional mentor–trainee tutorship towards structured, more objective and safer programs. Accreditation of surgeons requires reaching a consensus on metrics and tasks used to assess surgeons’ psychomotor skills. Ongoing development of tracking systems and software solutions has allowed for the expansion of novel training and assessment means in laparoscopy. The current challenge is to adapt and include these systems within training programs, and to exploit their possibilities for evaluation purposes. This paper describes the state of the art in research on measuring and assessing psychomotor laparoscopic skills. It gives an overview on tracking systems as well as on metrics and advanced statistical and machine learning techniques employed for evaluation purposes. The later ones have a potential to be used as an aid in deciding on the surgical competence level, which is an important aspect when accreditation of the surgeons in particular, and patient safety in general, are considered. The prospective of these methods and tools make them complementary means for surgical assessment of motor skills, especially in the early stages of training. Successful examples such as the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery should help drive a paradigm change to structured curricula based on objective parameters. These may improve the accreditation of new surgeons, as well as optimize their already overloaded training schedules

Modelo de gestión eficiente y sostenible de los recursos hídricos

[ES] El sector de distribución de agua potable a poblaciones está evolucionando mediante el uso de la innovación tecnológica. Las empresas gestoras de agua potable deben evolucionar los sistemas de gestión de sus redes. El desarrollo de herramientas de software, que se alimentan del Big Data proporcionado por la telelectura, está permitiendo alcanzar múltiples beneficios en materia medioambiental y de calidad del servicio. En este trabajo se muestra de una manera introductoria las características básicas y puntos de referencia para la realización de un modelo de gestión eficiente de los recursos hídricos, en base a la metrología de los contadores, los sistemas de telelectura, teniendo en cuenta el rendimiento hidraáulico y la verificación del parque de contadores. Todo ello se basa en las experiencias del grupo Aguas de Valencia en su experiencia e innovación en la gestión de recursos hídricos.[EN] Distribution of drinking water to the population sector is evolving through the use of technological innovation. Managing drinking water utilities must evolve their network management systems. The development of software tools, which feed on Big Data provided by the remote reading, is allowing to achieve multiple environmental and service quality benefits. This work shows in an introductory manner the basic characteristics and benchmarks for the realization of a model of efficient management of water resources, on the basis of the Metrology of counters, remote reading systems, taking into account the performance hidraaulico and the verification of meters Park. All this is based on the experiences of the Aguas de Valencia group experience and innovation in the management of water resources.Tejedor Sánchez, C.; Cárcel Carrasco, FJ. (2017). Modelo de gestión eficiente y sostenible de los recursos hídricos. 3C Tecnología. 6(4):13-23. doi:10.17993/3ctecno.2017.v6n4e24.13-23S13236

Validity of the Computerized Battery for Neuropsychological Evaluation of Children (BENCI) in Spanish Children: Preliminary Results

Study of the neurodevelopment of children is vital to promote good quality of life during childhood. Few batteries showing adequate reliability and validity indices are available to evaluate the different neuropsychological domains. The objective of this study was to obtain initial evidence on the validity of the Computerized Battery for Neuropsychological Evaluation of Children (BENCI) in a Spanish population. To assess the validity of the BENCI battery and other measures of task switching, abstract reasoning, linguistic abilities, processing speed, and attention were used. The sample was composed of a total of 73 children aged 9, 10, and 11 years. Significant differences among age groups were observed in the domains of sustained attention, memory, and executive function. In addition, the BENCI subtests showed statistically significant correlations with the other neuropsychological tools. Further research is warranted on the relationship of the BENCI with other tests in wider age groups and to assess the factorial structure of the scale and the reliability values of the subtests. In conclusion, this study seems to indicate that the Spanish version of the BENCI has promising validity to be used for evaluating the main neuropsychological domains in children.Conselleria d'Educacio, Investigacio, Cultura i Esport de la Generalitat Valenciana (Proyectos I+D+i desarrollados por grupos de investigacion emergentes) GV/2017/166Agencia Andaluza de Cooperacion Internacional al Desarrollo de la Junta de Andalucia (Proyectos de Investigacion para la Cooperacion Internacional al Desarrollo AACID-Universidades) 2020U100

Procedimiento automático para el calibrado de cámaras: Estudio comparativo de la distorsión en diferentes combinaciones de cámaras y ópticas laparoscópicas

En este trabajo se propone un método de calibración automático para el cálculo y corrección de la distorsión en imágenes producida por las lentes de los sistemas de captura. Este procedimiento ha sido empleado como herramienta para analizar la distorsión provocada por diversos sistemas de cámara y óptica laparoscópica, de modo que podamos determinar el sistema que proporciona una imagen más fiable al cirujano

Aumento del éxito académico como consecuencia de la aplicación de metodologías activas en la enseñanza del Derecho Tributario de la Unión Europea

El autor presenta las actividades realizadas y los resultados obtenidos con la realización del proyecto de innovación y mejora docente “Aplicación de metodologías activas en la enseñanza del Derecho tributario de la Unión Europea”, realizado en la Universidad de Sevilla durante el curso académico 2010/2011

Implantación de modelos de cálculo, control y reducción de costes en las empresas de transporte urbano colectivo de viajeros

En la presente comunicación se presentan algunas reflexiones sobre la modelización de sistemas de cálculo, análisis, gestión, control y reducción de costes, basados en la metodología Activity Based Costing/Activity Based Management -ABC/ABM- en empresas de transporte urbano colectivo de viajeros, así como respecto a los trabajos a llevar a cabo para su implantación y el origen de los datos procesados por el modelo para su integración con los sistemas de información de tales empresas.In this paper we aim to describe how to develop a well-design cost accounting system in order to analize, control and reduce costs in urban transport enterprises, according to Activity Base Costing/Activity Based Management –ABC/ABM- methodology. In addition, we study the instalation process and th

Using the Social-Local-Mobile App for Smoking Cessation in the SmokeFreeBrain Project: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Smoking is considered the main cause of preventable illness and early deaths worldwide. The treatment usually prescribed to people who wish to quit smoking is a multidisciplinary intervention, combining both psychological advice and pharmacological therapy, since the application of both strategies significantly increases the chance of success in a quit attempt. Objective: We present a study protocol of a 12-month randomized open-label parallel-group trial whose primary objective is to analyze the efficacy and efficiency of usual psychopharmacological therapy plus the Social-Local-Mobile app (intervention group) applied to the smoking cessation process compared with usual psychopharmacological therapy alone (control group). Methods: The target population consists of adult smokers (both male and female) attending the Smoking Cessation Unit at Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Seville, Spain. Social-Local-Mobile is an innovative intervention based on mobile technologies and their capacity to trigger behavioral changes. The app is a complement to pharmacological therapies to quit smoking by providing personalized motivational messages, physical activity monitoring, lifestyle advice, and distractions (minigames) to help overcome cravings. Usual pharmacological therapy consists of bupropion (Zyntabac 150 mg) or varenicline (Champix 0.5 mg or 1 mg). The main outcomes will be (1) the smoking abstinence rate at 1 year measured by means of exhaled carbon monoxide and urinary cotinine tests, and (2) the result of the cost-effectiveness analysis, which will be expressed in terms of an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Secondary outcome measures will be (1) analysis of the safety of pharmacological therapy, (2) analysis of the health-related quality of life of patients, and (3) monitoring of healthy lifestyle and physical exercise habits. Results: Of 548 patients identified using the hospital’s electronic records system, we excluded 308 patients: 188 declined to participate and 120 did not meet the inclusion criteria. A total of 240 patients were enrolled: the control group (n=120) will receive usual psychopharmacological therapy, while the intervention group (n=120) will receive usual psychopharmacological therapy plus the So-Lo-Mo app. The project was approved for funding in June 2015. Enrollment started in October 2016 and was completed in October 2017. Data gathering was completed in November 2018, and data analysis is under way. The first results are expected to be submitted for publication in early 2019. Conclusions: Social networks and mobile technologies influence our daily lives and, therefore, may influence our smoking habits as well. As part of the SmokeFreeBrain H2020 European Commission project, this study aims at elucidating the potential role of these technologies when used as an extra aid to quit smoking

Influencia del estado del mantenimiento en instalaciones luminotécnicas de interior

[ES] En el mantenimiento de las instalaciones luminotécnicas de interior de edificios influyen factores como cambios en el funcionamiento de las lámparas, la suciedad que se va depositando en las luminarias, unido esto a la disminución de flujo luminoso que experimentan las lámparas a lo largo de su vida, hace que el nivel inicial de iluminación descienda sensiblemente, y hay que tener en cuenta que los componentes de las instalaciones tienen una vida limitada y alguna vez deberán ser sustituidos. En este artículo se muestra la influencia que un adecuado mantenimiento incide en las instalaciones luminotécnicas de interior.Cárcel Carrasco, FJ.; Sánchez Rodríguez, JM. (2017). Influencia del estado del mantenimiento en instalaciones luminotécnicas de interior. Mantenimiento en Latinoamérica. 9(5):19-24. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/102623S19249

Centros de transformación MT/BT integrado en obra civil

Cárcel Carrasco, FJ.; Sánchez Rodríguez, JM. (2015). Centros de transformación MT/BT integrado en obra civil. Area de Innovación y Desarrollo S.L. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/83664