Estimación de la humedad de tapones de corcho mediante medida de la resistencia electrica

En este trabajo se exponen los resultados obtenidos en el Departamento de Productos Forestales del CIFOR-INIA sobre la relación entre la resistencia eléctrica y el contenido de humedad de los tapones de corcho. Estos resultados muestran que los medidores de humedad utilizados habitualmente en la industria pueden alcanzar una precisión elevada, siempre y cuando se tenga en cuenta la influencia de los distintos factores que afectan a la relación resistencia eléctrica-humedad: tipo de tapón, dirección de la medida, temperatura del material. Además, se han obtenido los modelos matemáticos que permiten la calibración de cualquier aparato de este tipo de manera rápida y sencill

Prediction of standard particleboard mechanical properties utilizing an artificial neural network and subsequent comparison with a multivariate regression model

The physical properties (specific gravity, moisture content, thickness swelling and water absorption) and mechanical properties (internal bond strength, bending strength and modulus of elasticity) were determined on 93 Spanish-manufactured standard particleboards of different thicknesses selected randomly at the end of the production process. The testing methods of the corresponding European standards (EN) were used, except in the case of the thickness swelling and absorption tests, for which the Spanish UNE standard was used. The thickness and the values obtained for the physical properties were entered into an artificial neural network in order to predict the mechanical properties of the board. The fit was compared with the usual multivariate regression models. The use of a neural network made it possible to obtain the values of bending strength, modulus of elasticity and internal bond strength of the boards utilizing the known data, not only of thickness, moisture content and specific gravity, but also of thickness swelling and water absorption. The neural network proposed is much better adapted to the observed values than any of the multivariate regression models obtained

Influence of Wood Properties and Building Construction on Energy Demand, Thermal Comfort and Start-Up Lag Time of Radiant Floor Heating Systems

Radiant floor heating is becoming increasingly popular in cold climates because it delivers higher comfort levels more efficiently than conventional systems. Wood is one of the surface coverings most frequently used in radiant flooring, despite the widely held belief that in terms of thermal performance it is no match for higher conductivity materials if a high energy performance is intended. Given that the highest admissible thermal resistance for flooring finishes or coverings is generally accepted to be 0.15 m(2)K/W, wood would appear to be a scantly appropriate choice. Nonetheless, the evaluation of the thermal performance of wooden radiant floor heating systems in conjunction with the building in terms of energy demand, thermal comfort, and start-up period, has been insufficiently explored in research. This has led to the present knowledge gap around its potential to deliver lower energy consumption and higher thermal comfort than high-thermal-conductivity materials, depending on building characteristics. This article studies the thermal performance of wood radiant floors in terms of three parameters: energy demand, thermal comfort, and start-up lag time, analysing the effect of wood properties in conjunction with building construction on each. An experimentally validated radiant floor model was coupled to a simplified building thermal model to simulate the performance of 60 wood coverings and one reference granite covering in 216 urban dwellings differing in construction features. The average energy demand was observed to be lower in the wood than in the granite coverings in 25% of the dwellings simulated. Similarly, on average, wood lagged behind granite in thermal comfort by less than 1 h/day in 50% of the dwellings. The energy demand was minimised in a significant 18% and thermal comfort maximised in 14% of the simulations at the lowest thermal conductivity value. The vast majority of the wooden floors lengthened the start-up lag time relative to granite in only 30 min or less in all the dwellings. Wood flooring with the highest thermal resistance (even over the 0.15 m(2)K/W cited in standard EN 1264-2) did not significantly affect the energy demand or thermal comfort. On average, wood flooring lowered energy demand by 6.4% and daily hours of thermal comfort by a mere 1.6% relative to granite coverings. The findings showed that wood-finished flooring may deliver comparable or, in some cases, higher thermal performance than high-conductivity material coverings, even when their thermal resistance is over 0.15 m(2)K/W. The suggestion is that the aforementioned value, presently deemed the maximum admissible thermal resistance, may need to be revised

Effect of Wood Properties and Building Construction on Thermal Performance of Radiant Floor Heating Worldwide

Due to its relatively lower thermal conductivity, the suitability of wood is called into question when selecting the flooring material best suited to radiant heating systems. The European standard EN 1264 considers floorings with a thermal resistance over 0.15 m2 K/W to be out of scope. This belief was partially disproved in a previous article that studied wooden floors for Madrid’s climate. However, the effect of climate still needs to be addressed. The present study extends the previous research to worldwide climates and aimed to answer the following questions: (1) Do the lowest thermal conductivity woods present good thermal performance when used in radiant floors? (2) Should the flooring have a maximum thermal resistance value? (3) Is the standard thermal resistance limit of 0.15 m2 K/W objectively justified? And (4) Do the answers of the preceding questions depend on the climate and the construction characteristics? To answer these questions, 28 cities were selected according to the Köppen–Geiger climate classification. In each city, 216 different dwellings were simulated with 60 wood floorings and one of low thermal resistance as a reference, comprising a total of 368,928 cases. Thermal performance was evaluated in terms of three parameters: energy demand, thermal comfort, and start-up lag time. Consequently, the answers to the previous questions were: (1) The lowest thermal conductivity woods can be used efficiently worldwide in radiant floor heating systems with start-up lag times close to that of the reference flooring; (2) There is no limit value for thermal resistance for floorings that can be applied to all dwellings and climates; (3) No objective justification was found for establishing a thermal resistance limit for flooring of 0.15 m2 K/W; and (4) Climate and construction characteristics can play an important role in the correct selection of flooring properties, especially in severe winters and dwellings with the greatest outdoor-exposed envelope and the worst insulation

The influence of the moisture content on the electrical resistance of two types of cork stoppers

The relationship between the log of the electrical resistance (ER; measured using pin electrodes) and the moisture content (MC) have not been reported in any form of cork. That is important for the cork stoppers industry because it should help in the design and verification of more precise devices for measuring cork moisture content. In this study, using linear regression techniques, different regression models of the type log(Log(R) + 1) = axh + b were derived to describe the relationship ERMC, that was measured using pin electrodes on two types of cork stoppers [natural (N) and agglomerate(AG)]. The results obtained show that in the models proposed, the moisture content of AG cork stoppers can be estimated with an error of ± 0.3%, while that of N stoppers can be estimated with an error of 0.5%. Neither the geographical origin of the N corks nor the surface treatment to which the AG corks were subjected significantly affected the proposed models. Therefore, the moisture content of cork stoppers could be measured at the industrial scale using electrical resistancetype moisture meter

Pilot study on violence in children’s animated drawings and their relationship with emotional intelligence

La exposición a la violencia existente en los dibujos animados puede ser perjudicial en edades tempranas, dado que los niños pueden tomarlos como modelos de comportamiento. Asimismo, dicha exposición en la edad infantil se ha relacionado con problemas de tipo emocional. En este estudio se visionaron doce series de dibujos animados, con el objetivo de explorar la cantidad y tipología de acciones violentas presentes. También se evaluó la inteligencia emocional de 20 escolares (50% niños, 50% niñas) de cinco años que ven esas series. Los resultados muestran que más de la mitad de las series que ven los escolares evaluados presentan algún tipo de acción violenta, especialmente de tipo físico. Casi la mitad de las acciones violentas observadas suceden en contextos no escolares, las ejercen adultos no significativos, y tanto niños como niñas ejercen y reciben violencia en proporciones similares. Se han observado asimismo correlaciones negativas significativas entre el nivel de violencia y la inteligencia emocional, así como diferencias de inteligencia emocional en los niños según el país de procedencia de su serie favorita. Se discuten estos resultados y sus implicaciones para los menores de educación infantil.Cartoons violence exposure can be negative for toddlers, because children behavior can be modelled by them. Early exposure has been related to emotional disturbance. In this study twelve cartoon series were watched in order to explore the number and typology of violent actions. Emotional intelligence of children who watched this series was assessed. Results show that more than half of series contains some type of violent action, principally physical. Almost half of violent actions occurs outside school environment, are executed by non significant adults, and both boys and girls exercise and receive violence in similar proportions. There are negative and significant correlations between violence level and emotional intelligence, and there are emotional intelligence differences depending on favorite cartoon country origin. Results and its implications for toddlers are discussed.peerReviewe

Hyperspectral data processing algorithm combining principal component analysis and K nearest neighbours

A processing algorithm to classify hyperspectral images from an imaging spectroscopic sensor is investigated in this paper. In this research two approaches are followed. First, the feasibility of an analysis scheme consisting of spectral feature extraction and classification is demonstrated. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to perform data dimensionality reduction while the spectral interpretation algorithm for classification is the K nearest neighbour (KNN). The performance of the KNN method, in terms of accuracy and classification time, is determined as a function of the compression rate achieved in the PCA pre-processing stage. Potential applications of these hyperspectral sensors for foreign object detection in industrial scenarios are enormous, for example in raw material quality control. KNN classifier provides an enormous improvement in this particular case, since as no training is required, new products can be added in any time. To reduce the high computational load of the KNN classifier, a generalization of the binary tree employed in sorting and searching, kd-tree , has been implemented in a second approach. Finally, the performance of both strategies, with or without the inclusion of the kd-tree, has been successfully tested and their properties compared in the raw material quality control of the tobacco industry

Adaptación y validación de un cuestionario para medir la percepción de la calidad percibida por los usuarios externos de los campos de golf: Andalucía (España)

The objective of this work is to translate, adapt and validate the Customer Service Survey Quality Golf Course (CSQSGC). This tool is the most complete in the literature, and it is the best questionnaire to assess the perceived quality of the users. of the golf courses of Andalusia (Spain). In addition, its psychometric properties are examined: reliability and concurrent validity. There was a professional translation into Spanish of each item, content adaptation, evaluation of compression of the instrument through pilot testing, analysis of reliability with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and validity, with an exploratory factor analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis of the instrument. Eleven expert judges participated in the process of adaptation and validation. Test-retest reliability methods were applied to a sample of 50 participants with an interval over a week. Subsequently, the questionnaire is applied to 200 users of golf courses. The adapted and validated instrument Analysis of Perceived Quality of the Game of Golf (CAPG) may be used to evaluate the quality of the golf courses based on the feedback of the users.It has a structure of 39 items (four more items added from the original version) divided into four subscales, matching with the original version, and it shows positive results for reliability and validity in the Spanish version. It is a useful tool for managers, because it allows the detection of deficiencies and areas for improvement for golf courses.El objetivo de este trabajo es traducir, adaptar y validar el cuestionario “Customer service quality survey golf course” (CSQSGC). Esta herramienta es la más completa en la literatura y es el mejor cuestionario para evaluar el grado de calidad percibida de los usuarios de los campos de golf de Andalucía (España). Se realizó una traducción profesional al español de cada ítem, adaptación de contenido, evaluación de compresión del instrumento mediante prueba piloto, análisis de confiabilidad con coeficiente alfa de Cronbach y validez, con análisis factorial exploratorio, análisis factorial confirmatorio del instrumento. Once jueces expertos participaron en el proceso de adaptación y validación. Se aplicaron métodos de confiabilidad test-retest a una muestra de 50 participantes con un intervalo de más de una semana. Posteriormente, se aplica el cuestionario a 200 usuarios de campos de golf. El instrumento adaptado y validado: Análisis de “Calidad percibida en el juego del golf” (CAPG) puede ser usado para evaluar la calidad de los campos de golf en función de la opinión de los usuarios. Tiene una estructura de 39 ítems (cuatro ítems más agregados de la versión original) divididos en 4 subescalas, coincidentes con la versión original, y muestra resultados favorables de fiabilidad y validez en su versión en español. Es una herramienta útil para los gestores, pues permite detectar deficiencias y las áreas de mejora de los campos de golf.Actividad Física y Deport

Genotoxic effects of occupational exposure to lead and influence of polymorphisms in genes involved in lead toxicokinetics and in DNA repair

This work was partly supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PSI2010-15115) and Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (grants PDCT/SAU-OBS/59821/2004, PTDC/QUI/ 67522/2006 and PTDC/SAU-OSM/105572/2008, and fellowship SFRH/ BD/22612/2005 to M. Pingarilho).publishersversionpublishe

Beneficial effect of systemic allogeneic adipose derived mesenchymal cells on the clinical, inflammatory and immunologic status of a patient with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa: A case report

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is an incurable inherited mucocutaneous fragility disorder characterized by recurrent blisters, erosions, and wounds. Continuous blistering triggers overlapping cycles of never-ending healing and scarring commonly evolving to chronic systemic inflammation and fibrosis. The systemic treatment with allogeneic mesenchymal cells (MSC) from bone marrow has previously shown benefits in RDEB. MSC from adipose tissue (ADMSC) are easier to isolate. This is the first report on the use of systemic allogeneic ADMSC, correlating the clinical, inflammatory, and immunologic outcomes in RDEB indicating long-lasting benefits. We present the case of an RDEB patient harboring heterozygous biallelic COL7A1 gene mutations and with a diminished expression of C7. The patient presented with long-lasting refractory and painful oral ulcers distressing her quality of life. Histamine receptor antagonists, opioid analgesics, proton-pump inhibitors, and low-dose tricyclic antidepressants barely improved gastric symptoms, pain, and pruritus. Concomitantly, allogeneic ADMSC were provided as three separate intravenous injections of 106 cells/kg every 21 days. ADMSC treatment was well-tolerated. Improvements in wound healing, itch, pain and quality of life were observed, maximally at 6-9 months post-treatment, with the relief of symptoms still noticeable for up to 2 years. Remarkably, significant modifications in PBL participating in both the innate and adaptive responses, alongside regulation of levels of profibrotic factors, MCP-1/CCL2 and TGF-beta, correlated with the health improvement. This treatment might represent an alternative for non-responding patients to conventional management. It seems critical to elucidate the paracrine modulation of the immune system by MSC for their rational use in regenerative/immunoregulatory therapies.This study was supported by a donation from Berritxuak-Elkartea (2015/00397/002), a collaborative rare disease association and, from La Paz University Hospital as well as by grants from the Community of Madrid (AvanCell-CM S2017/BMD-3692) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2017-86810-R). The UCMteamis supported by grants from the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (RD16/0011/0002) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (RTI2018-093899-B-I00). MJE is recipient of a contract funded by DEBRA-Spain