Effects of Artificial Light Treatments on Growth, Mineral Composition, Physiology, and Pigment Concentration in Dieffenbachia maculata “Compacta” Plants

Specific wavebands may allow precise control of plant growth. However, light sources must be carefully evaluated before the large-scale use of supplemental light sources can be implemented. Dieffenbachia maculata “Compacta” plants were grown for 8 weeks in pots in a growth chamber under tightly controlled temperature and humidity in order to assess the effects of supplemental light. Three treatments were applied: (i) using 18-W fluorescent bulbs (T1), (ii) using the same bulbs with supplemental light emitting diodes (LEDs) (Pure Blue and Pure Red Mix-Light-Emitting Diodes (BR-LEDs)) (T2), and (iii) using high-efficiency TL5 fluorescents (T3). Plant biomass, mineral composition, and physiological and photosynthetic parameters were assessed under each light treatment. Total plant dry weight was highest in plants grown under treatments T1 and T3. Other differences were observed between different light treatments, including variation in biomass partitioning as well as N and K concentrations in roots, stems, and leaves. Further, proline and indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) levels were higher in plants grown under the T1 treatment, whereas total soluble sugars and starch were higher in plants grown under treatment T3. Plants grown under treatment T1 had the lowest chlorophyll concentrations. No differences were observed in organ water content and P concentration. T2 was not the best treatment, as expected. The model proposed a linear regression between integrated use of spectral energy (IUSE) and total dry weight (TDW), which showed a good relationship with an R2 value of 0.83. Therefore, we recommend this methodology to discern the effects of the different spectral qualities on plant biomass

Fittonia verschaffeltii Response to Artificial Light Treatments: BIOMASS, Nutrient Concentrations and Physiological Changes

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different light treatments on biomass, nutrient concentrations and physiological parameters of Fittonia verschaffeltii (Lem) Van Houtte. The aim was to establish a methodology to evaluate the effect of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) emitted by lamps on biomass. The light treatments used were tube luminescent Dunn (TL-D), tube luminescent Dunn + light emitting diodes (LEDs) and Tube luminescent 5 (TL-5). At the end of the experimental period, biomass, nutritional, biochemical, and physiological parameters were assessed. A clear reduction in total plant dry weight under TL-D + LEDs at the end of the experiment was recorded. With respect to nutrient concentration in the different organs assessed, there was no clear response under the different light treatments. The growth under TL-D lamps resulted in the highest concentration of total soluble sugars and starch in leaves, whereas the highest value of indole 3-acetic acid concentration was under TL-5 lamps. Plants grown under TL-D + LEDs showed the lowest values of chlorophyll a, b and a + b. The relationship proposed between integrated use of spectral energy (IUSE) and total dry weight (TDW) showed a good correlation with an R2 value of 0.86, therefore we recommend this methodology to discern the effects of the different spectral qualities on plant biomass

Growth, Photosynthesis, and Physiological Responses of Ornamental Plants to Complementation with Monochromic or Mixed Red-Blue LEDs for Use in Indoor Environments

Inch (Tradescantia zebrina) and spider (Chlorophytum comosum) plants were grown in a growth chamber for two months in plastic containers to evaluate the effects of different light treatments (TO Tube luminescent Dunn (TLD) lamps or control), TB (TLD lamps + blue light emitting diodes (LEDs)), TR (TLD lamps + red LEDs), and TBR (TLD lamps + blue and red LEDs) on biomass, photosynthesis, and physiological parameters. Total dry weight and water content were evaluated at the end of the experimental period. After two months, pigment concentrations and the photosynthetic rate were assessed in both species. The total soluble sugar, starch, and proline concentrations in the leaf as physiological parameters were studied at the end of the experiment. Both species had increased root, shoot, and total dry weight under blue LEDs conditions. The chlorophyll concentration showed a specific response in each species under monochromic or mixed red-blue LEDs. The highest photosynthetic rate was measured under the addition of mixed red-blue LEDs with TLD lamps. At the physiological level, each species triggered different responses with respect to total soluble sugars and the proline concentration in leaves under monochromic or mixed red-blue LEDs. Our study demonstrated that the addition of blue LEDs is advisable for the production of these ornamental foliage species

Voluntariado en Acción Catálogo de iniciativas de voluntariado Centros de Educación para el Desarrollo.

Este catálogo compila todas las iniciativas de voluntariado que enmarcan y orientan las acciones de más de dos mil voluntarios anuales que aportan con su tiempo y conocimiento al fortalecimiento de las comunidades, sus organizaciones sociales y comunitarias que trabajan decididamente para construir una mejor sociedad. Durante los últimos tres años hemos apostado por el fortalecimiento de esta estrategia generando nuevas modalidades, diversos escenarios para el desarrollo del voluntariado, capacitando a los 19 líderes y los voluntarios en las sedes, siempre bajo la profunda convicción de que el mundo se puede cambiar cuando mucha gente pequeña, en lugares pequeños, haciendo cosas pequeñas, logran tocar la vida de las personas que más lo necesitan

Annual Conference on Formative Research on EFL. Practices thar inspire change.

The conference papers of the Annual Conference on Formative Research on EFL. Practices thar inspire change collect pedagogical experiences, research reports, and reflections about social issues, language teaching, teaching training, interculturality under the panorama of the Covid-19 pandemic. Each paper invites the reader to implement changes in their teaching practice through disruptive pedagogies, reflect on the social and emotional consequences of the lockdown, new paths for teacher training and different approaches for teaching interculturality. We expect to inspire new ways to train pre-service teachers and teach languages in this changing times

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries(1,2). However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world(3) and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health(4,5). However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol-which is a marker of cardiovascular riskchanged from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million-4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.Peer reviewe

Global variations in diabetes mellitus based on fasting glucose and haemogloblin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but may identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening had elevated FPG, HbA1c, or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardised proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed, and detected in survey screening, ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the agestandardised proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global gap in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.peer-reviewe

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants

Background Hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30–79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment. We defined hypertension as having systolic blood pressure 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for hypertension. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and the proportion of people with hypertension who had a previous diagnosis (detection), who were taking medication for hypertension (treatment), and whose hypertension was controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg (control). The model allowed for trends over time to be non-linear and to vary by age. Findings The number of people aged 30–79 years with hypertension doubled from 1990 to 2019, from 331 (95% credible interval 306–359) million women and 317 (292–344) million men in 1990 to 626 (584–668) million women and 652 (604–698) million men in 2019, despite stable global age-standardised prevalence. In 2019, age-standardised hypertension prevalence was lowest in Canada and Peru for both men and women; in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and some countries in western Europe including Switzerland, Spain, and the UK for women; and in several low-income and middle-income countries such as Eritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Solomon Islands for men. Hypertension prevalence surpassed 50% for women in two countries and men in nine countries, in central and eastern Europe, central Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Globally, 59% (55–62) of women and 49% (46–52) of men with hypertension reported a previous diagnosis of hypertension in 2019, and 47% (43–51) of women and 38% (35–41) of men were treated. Control rates among people with hypertension in 2019 were 23% (20–27) for women and 18% (16–21) for men. In 2019, treatment and control rates were highest in South Korea, Canada, and Iceland (treatment >70%; control >50%), followed by the USA, Costa Rica, Germany, Portugal, and Taiwan. Treatment rates were less than 25% for women and less than 20% for men in Nepal, Indonesia, and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Control rates were below 10% for women and men in these countries and for men in some countries in north Africa, central and south Asia, and eastern Europe. Treatment and control rates have improved in most countries since 1990, but we found little change in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Improvements were largest in high-income countries, central Europe, and some upper-middle-income and recently high-income countries including Costa Rica, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and Iran. Interpretation Improvements in the detection, treatment, and control of hypertension have varied substantially across countries, with some middle-income countries now outperforming most high-income nations. The dual approach of reducing hypertension prevalence through primary prevention and enhancing its treatment and control is achievable not only in high-income countries but also in low-income and middle-income settings

Guía para la elaboración del protocolo de autocontrol de piscinas

YesEsta guía surge de la necesidad de ofrecer una orientación a las personas titulares de instalaciones de piscinas para desarrollar el protocolo de autocontrol de las mismas que establece el artículo 11.5 del Real Decreto 742/2013, de 27 de septiembre, por el que se establecen los criterios técnico-sanitarios de las piscinas, tal y como queda recogido en la Disposición Adicional Primera del mismo. Así debe entenderse como una herramienta para desarrollar unos procedimientos con el fin de que sirvan de ayuda a las personas titulares de la instalación en la elaboración de su protocolo de autocontrol, teniendo siempre en el horizonte la finalidad de proteger la salud y la seguridad de las personas usuarias. La guía está estructurada en 7 capítulos correspondientes a los 7 epígrafes del artículo 11.5 del Real Decreto 742/2013