Field analysis of the deterioration after some years of use of four insect-proof screens utilized in Mediterranean greenhouses

The installation of insect-proof screens on greenhouse vents is one of the principal methods of protection against harmful insects for crops. Their main disadvantage lies on their negative effects on natural ventilation and greenhouse microclimate, which have been the focus of studies by several authors. However, few works have analysed the effect of accumulated dust and dirt on these screens. The present study has analysed four anti-insect screens, comparing their geometric characteristics before installation and after three to four years of use. Two negative effects have been observed and quantified: deterioration of the threads that make up the screen and reduction of porosity due to accumulated dirt in the pores. This deterioration over time gives leads to a mean increase in thread diameter of 3.1%, as well to a mean decrease in the pore size of 6.2% and 2.3% in the weft (Lpx) and the warp (Lpy), respectively. In fact, the insect-proof screen porosity (φ) decreased due to the deterioration of the threads by an average of 6.5%, in addition to an average 20.3% reduction due to the accumulation of dirt in the pores, making a total reduction in porosity of 26.8%. This decrease in porosity leads to lower greenhouse ventilation rates, and is therefore detrimental for the greenhouse microclimate. Consequently, it is recommended that insect-proof screens in arid areas such as Almería (Spain), with abundant dust suspended in the atmosphere, be washed monthly using water sprayed at high pressure

Sexuality throughout all the stages of pregnancy: experiences of expectant mothers

Objective: To explore and understand the sexual experiences of expectant mothers during their pregnancy. Methods: The study was carried out in two healthcare centers in the Almería Health District, in southern Spain. The participants included pregnant women who received prenatal care and/or maternity education. The inclusion criteria were being pregnant, maintaining sexual activity and agreeing to participate in the study. The exclusion criteria were having limitations on sexual activity by medical prescription. The sample consisted of 15 expectant women selected using a convenience sample, of which 5 took part in a focus group (FG) and 10 in in-depth interviews (IDI). Data was collected between the months of June and December 2016. Participants were contacted by the main researcher and an appointment was made to carry out the FGs or the IDIs. Results: Three main categories emerged: False beliefs and a holistic approach to sexuality during pregnancy, which is related to the concept of sexuality, false beliefs, and limited sexual counseling during pregnancy. Limitations: From fear at the beginning to physical diffi culty at the end, referring to the fluctuations in sexual desire as well as the physical changes that limit sexual activity. Adapting to changes: safe practices and satisfaction with one’s body image, which encompasses concerns about the risks and the relationship between body image and self-esteem. Conclusion: A lack of sexual counseling during pregnancy leads to the creation of false beliefs, which, together with physical changes, concerns about the risk, and fl uctuations in sexual desire and interest, bring about a decrease in sexual activity. But sexuality remains an important aspect of pregnancy, toward which the participants must adopt a broader approach, not limited to intercourse, and adopt sexual practices that are adapted to the physical and emotional changes that happen during this time

Entropy, Topological Theories and Emergent Quantum Mechanics

[EN] The classical thermostatics of equilibrium processes is shown to possess a quantum mechanical dual theory with a finite dimensional Hilbert space of quantum states. Specifically, the kernel of a certain Hamiltonian operator becomes the Hilbert space of quasistatic quantum mechanics. The relation of thermostatics to topological field theory is also discussed in the context of the approach of the emergence of quantum theory, where the concept of entropy plays a key role.Research supported by grant No. ENE2015-71333-R (Spain).Cabrera, D.; Fernández De Córdoba Castellá, PJ.; Isidro San Juan, JM.; Vazquez Molina, J. (2017). Entropy, Topological Theories and Emergent Quantum Mechanics. Entropy. 19(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/e19030087S19

Sonication of intramedullary nails: Clinically-related infection and contamination

Background and Aim: Sonication is currently considered the best procedure for microbiological diagnosis of implant-related osteoarticular infection, but studies in nail-related infections are lacking. The study aim was to evaluate implant sonication after intramedullary nail explantation, and relate it to microbiological cultures and clinical outcome. Patients and Methods: A study was performed in two University Hospitals from the same city. Thirty-one patients with implanted nails were prospectively included, whether with clinical infection (8 cases) or without (23 cases). Retrieved nails underwent sonication according a previously published protocol. The clinical and microbiological outcome patient was related to the presence of microorganisms in the retrieved implant. Results: Positive results appeared in 15/31 patients (9 with polymicrobial infections) almost doubling those clinically infected cases. The most commonly isolated organisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis (19.2 %) and Staphylococcus aureus (15.4 %). A significant relationship was found between the presence of positive cultures and previous local superficial infection (p=0.019). The presence of usual pathogens was significantly related to clinical infection (p=0.005) or local superficial infection (p=0.032). All patients with positive cultures showed pain diminution or absence of pain after nail removal (15/15), but this only occurred in 8 (out of 16) patients with negative cultures. Conclusions: In patients with previously diagnosed infection or local superficial infection, study of the hardware is mandatory. In cases where pain or patient discomfort is observed, nail sonication can help diagnose the implant colonization with potential pathogens that might require specific treatment to improve the final outcomePart of this work was funded by grants from the Comunidad de Madrid (S2009/MAT-1472) and from the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO Program (FUNCOAT-CSD2008- 00023). DMM was funded by a grant from the Fundación Conchita Rábago de Jiménez Día

Isolation and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in Spanish sheep flocks

© The Author(s) 2020.[Background]: Toxoplasma gondii is a major cause of abortion in small ruminants and presents a zoonotic risk when undercooked meat containing cysts is consumed. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic diversity among the T. gondii strains circulating in ovine livestock in Spain.[Methods]: Selected samples collected from abortion outbreaks due to toxoplasmosis (n = 31) and from chronically infected adult sheep at slaughterhouses (n = 50) in different Spanish regions were bioassayed in mice, aiming at parasite isolation. In addition, all original clinical samples and the resulting isolates were genotyped by multi-nested PCR-RFLP analysis of 11 molecular markers and by PCR-DNA sequencing of portions of the SAG3, GRA6 and GRA7 genes.[Results]: As a result, 30 isolates were obtained from 9 Spanish regions: 10 isolates from abortion-derived samples and 20 isolates from adult myocardial tissues. Overall, 3 genotypes were found: ToxoDB#3 (type II PRU variant) in 90% (27/30) of isolates, ToxoDB#2 (clonal type III) in 6.7% (2/30), and ToxoDB#1 (clonal type II) in 3.3% (1/30). When T. gondii-positive tissue samples (n = 151) were directly subjected to RFLP genotyping, complete restriction profiles were obtained for 33% of samples, and up to 98% of the specimens belonged to the type II PRU variant. A foetal brain showed a clonal type II pattern, and four specimens showed unexpected type I alleles at the SAG3 marker, including two foetal brains that showed I + II alleles as co-infection events. Amplicons of SAG3, GRA6 and GRA7 obtained from isolates and clinical samples were subjected to sequencing, allowing us to confirm RFLP results and to detect different single-nucleotide polymorphisms.[Conclusions]: The present study informed the existence of a predominant type II PRU variant genotype (ToxoDB#3) infecting domestic sheep in Spain, in both abortion cases and chronic infections in adults, coexisting with other clonal (ToxoDB#1 and ToxoDB#2), much less frequent genotypes, as well as polymorphic strains as revealed by clinical sample genotyping. The use of multilocus sequence typing aided in accurately estimating T. gondii intragenotype diversity.This research was supported by projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2016-75935-C2-R) and the Community of Madrid (PLATESA2-CM-P2018/BAA-4370). MF and RC were funded by UCM-Santander/2017 pre-doctoral grants, and PLATESA2 post-doctoral grants, respectively. CG was funded by DGAPA, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). RC, EC and LO are part of the TOXOSOURCES consortium, supported by funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 773830: One Health European Joint Programme.Peer reviewe

The role of late Quaternary tectonic activity and sea-level changes on sedimentary processes interaction in the Gulf of Cadiz upper and middle continental slope (SW Iberia)

A morphological and seismic-stratigraphic analysis of the Gulf of Cadiz area near the Strait of Gibraltar is presented in this work, focused on the sedimentary evolution of the upper and proximal middle-continental slope since the Mid-Pleistocene. Based on the analysis of seismic reflection profiles and swath bathymetry data, this work analyses the close influence of the activity of buried and outcropping diapiric ridges and late Quaternary sea-level changes on the evolution of contouritic features related to the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) and Eastern North Atlantic Central Water (ENACW), gravitational features and fluid-escape structures. The stratigraphic architecture reveals that, under active diapiric deformation, the upper slope plastered drift grew during low sea-level stages, when sediment supply was high and the ENACW swept the upper slope, contrasting with the present-day highstand situation dominated by northwest-trending MOW flow. The south-estward ENACW flow forced asymmetry and lateral migration of gullies incised in the plastered drift. Two evolutionary stages have been established: 1) After the Mid Pleistocene, activity of diapirs with a NE trend determined the location of the deepest depressions which were infilled by plastered contouritic drifts; 2) Between Late Quaternary and present, a drastic change of buried diapirs growth pattern and orientation to a NW trend enhanced slope-derived gravitational processes affecting the bottom current dynamics. Adjustments to tectonic changes led to a phase of plastered drift growth on the upper slope during which depocenters varied their distribution and orientation. In a long-term the structural control on sedimentation shows a northwestward displacement of deformation, resulting in an overall extension of the contourite depositional system to the NW. In a short-term, sea-level changes favored drift deposition, gullies incision and the strengthening of water masses. This work evidences the importance of tectonic deformation in sedimentation at recent time scales, and the twodirectional interplay between recent tectonic activity and bottom current dynamics.Versión del edito

Mode Converter and Multiplexer with a Subwavelength Phase Shifter for Extended Broadband Operation

4 pags., 3 figs., 1 tab.On-chip mode converters and multiplexers are fundamental components to scale the capacity of silicon optical interconnects by using different spatial modes of waveguides. Recently, we proposed a low loss and compact mode converter and multiplexer consisting of a subwavelength-engineered multimode interference coupler, tapered waveguides as phase shifter and a symmetric Y-junction. However, the narrow spectral response of the tapered phase shifter limited the device crosstalk performance. In this work, we demonstrate that the use of a subwavelength grating phase shifter with low phase-shift errors substantially reduces the crosstalk and expands the operational bandwidth. A complete multiplexer-demultiplexer link consisting of two devices in back-to-back configuration was fabricated in a 220-nm silicon-on-insulator platform. Experimental measurements of the complete link show insertion loss below 2 dB and crosstalk less than -17 dB over a bandwidth of 245 nm (1427 - 1672 nm).is work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) under grants RTI2018- 097957-B-C33, RED2018-102768-T, TEC2015-71127-C2-1-R (FPI BES- 2016-077798) and NEOTEC-CDTI-SNEO20181232 (Alcyon Photonics S.L.); and the Community of Madrid – FEDER funds (S2018/NMT-4326). This project has received funding from the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant No. 73433

A Port Graph Rewriting Approach to Relational Database Modelling

International audienceWe present new algorithms to compute the Syntactic Closure and the Minimal Cover of a set of functional dependencies, using strategic port graph rewriting. We specify a Visual Domain Specific Language to model relational database schemata as port graphs, and provide an extension to port graph rewriting rules. Using these rules we implement strategies to compute a syntactic closure, analyse it and find minimal covers, essential for schema normalisation. The graph program provides a visual description of the computation steps coupled with analysis features not available in other approaches. We prove soundness and completeness of the computed closure. This methodology is implemented in PORGY

Influence of the AlN interlayer thickness on the photovoltaic properties of in-rich AlInN on Si heterojunctions deposited by RF sputtering

8 pags., 5 figs., 1 tab.We report the influence of the AlN interlayer thickness (0-15 nm) on the photovoltaic properties of AlInN on Si heterojunction solar cells deposited by radio frequency sputtering. The poor junction band alignment and the presence of a 2-3 nm thick amorphous layer at the interface mitigates the response in devices fabricated by direct deposition of n-AlInN on p-Si(111). Adding a 4-nm-thick AlN buffer layer improves the AlInN crystalline quality and the interface alignment leading to devices with a conversion efficiency of 1.5% under 1-sun AM1.5G illumination. For thicker buffers the performance lessens due to inefficient tunnel transport through the AlN. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using In-rich AlInN alloys deposited by radio frequency sputtering as novel electron-selective contacts to Si-heterojunction solar cells.Support from projects NitPho (TEC2014-60483-R), ANOMALOS (TEC2015- 71127-C2-2-R), INFRASIL (TEC 2013-41730-R), SINFOTON (S2013/MIT 2790), MADRID-PV (2013/MAE-2780), PhotoAl (CCG2015/EXP-014), PAI research group (TEP-946 INNANOMAT), and FEDER-EU is acknowledged. TEM data were taken at DME-SC-ICyT-UCA. A. Nuñez- ˜ Cascajero thanks her grant to the University of Alcala and D. Montero acknowledges his contract ´ BES-2014-067585

Influence of the AlN interlayer thickness on the photovoltaic properties of In-rich AlInN on Si heterojunctions deposited by RF sputtering

We report the influence of the AlN interlayer thickness (0-15 nm) on the photovoltaic properties of Al0.37In0.63N on Si heterojunction solar cells deposited by radio frequency sputtering. The poor junction band alignment and the presence of a 2-3 nm thick amorphous layer at the interface mitigates the response in devices fabricated by direct deposition of n-AlInN on p-Si(111). Adding a 4-nm-thick AlN buffer layer improves the AlInN crystalline quality and the interface alignment leading to devices with a conversion efficiency of 1.5% under 1-sun AM1.5G illumination. For thicker buffers the performance lessens due to inefficient tunnel transport through the AlN. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using In-rich AlInN alloys deposited by radio frequency sputtering as novel electron-selective contacts to Si-heterojunction solar cells