Effect of row orientation on soil water content and vine water status on a Cabernet franc vineyard in Madrid, spain

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of row orien¬tation on vine and soil water status in an irrigated vineyard. The trial was developed during 2006, 2007 and 2008, in the South East region of Madrid (Spain) on 5-year old Cabernet franc grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) grafted onto 140Ru. Plant spacing was 2.5 m x 1.5 m and vines were trained to a VSP. Four orientations were stu¬died: North-South (N-S), East-West (E-W), Northeast-Southwest (N+45) and North-South +20o (N+20). Irrigation (0.4•ET0) started when shoot growth stopped. Soil water availability was measured using a TDR technique with forty buried probes. Row orientation did not have any effect on water consumption in the vineyard. At maturity, leaf water potential was measured at predawn, early mor¬ning, midday and 14:00 solar time, on both canopy sides - sun and shade – ; the early morning measurement was the one that better differentiated treatments. Leaf water potential was a good indica¬tor of plant water status. Differences between (N-S and E-W) and (N+20 and N+45) treatments were obtained both on sun and shade canopy sides, N+20 and N+45 having lower leaf water potentials then drier leaves. The water stress integral shows that N-S and E-W reach the end of maturation with a greater level of hydration than N+45 and N+20. As a whole, N+45 and N+20 orientations, without affecting too much the soil available water content, induce regularly more water stress to the vine at some periods, probably due to an higher sunlight interception in early morning which makes water limitation for the vine more early and thus more severe during the day

Designing tunnel lining in anhydritic claystones: intensity and distribution of swelling forces

The measured swelling pressures against tunnel linings range between a fraction of one MPa and 6–7 MPa. A strong spatial heterogeneity is often observed. The paper integrates these considerations into a procedure to design tunnel linings in anhydritic formations. Three-dimensional effects and proper consideration of heterogeneity is shown to be consistent with monitoring data of lining reinforcement stresses. The calculation methodology is illustrated in the case of the Lilla tunnel lining, which was monitored for more than 6 years. The described procedure leads to a rational design away from the conservatism of the assumption of uniform pressures against lining and two-dimensional modelling of tunnel cross-section.The Spanish railway administration (ADIF) kindly provided the monitoring data of AVE Lilla tunnel analysed here. The authors are grateful for the support received from Prof. Gonzalo Ramos for some of the structural calculations reported and to Eng. Francesc Cervera for his continuous collaboration and help regarding the A27 Motorway case. The Grants PID2021-122733OB-I00 and RTI2018-094226-J-I00 funded by the Spanish MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF (FEDER) A way of making Europe” Projects, and, also, the former financial support of Spanish Public Works Ministry are gratefully acknowledged. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Effects of dimethyl sulfoxide in cholesterol-containing lipid membranes: A comparative study of experiments in silico and with cells

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been known to enhance cell membrane permeability of drugs or DNA. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with single-component lipid bilayers predicted the existence of three regimes of action of DMSO: membrane loosening, pore formation and bilayer collapse. We show here that these modes of action are also reproduced in the presence of cholesterol in the bilayer, and we provide a description at the atomic detail of the DMSO-mediated process of pore formation in cholesterol-containing lipid membranes. We also successfully explore the applicability of DMSO to promote plasma membrane permeability to water, calcium ions (Ca2+) and Yo-Pro-1 iodide (Yo-Pro-1) in living cell membranes. The experimental results on cells in culture can be easily explained according to the three expected regimes: in the presence of low doses of DMSO, the membrane of the cells exhibits undulations but no permeability increase can be detected, while at intermediate DMSO concentrations cells are permeabilized to water and calcium but not to larger molecules as Yo-Pro-1. These two behaviors can be associated to the MD-predicted consequences of the effects of the DMSO at low and intermediate DMSO concentrations. At larger DMSO concentrations, permeabilization is larger, as even Yo-Pro-1 can enter the cells as predicted by the DMSO-induced membrane-destructuring effects described in the MD simulations.Fil: de Ménorval, Marie-Amélie. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Mir, Lluis M.. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Fernández, María Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Computación. Laboratorio de Sistemas Complejos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Reigada, Ramon. Universidad de Barcelona; Españ

Análisis de la motivación y rendimiento académico utilizando el aprendizaje basado en problemas con estudiantes de Ciencias de la salud :Terapia ocupacional

El Aprendizaje basado en Problemas (ABP) se caracteriza por desarrollar una serie de habilidades y competencias indispensables en el entorno profesional. Es un método innovador en el cual el aprendizaje es significativo, ya que se centra en el estudiante y fomenta el aprendizaje autónomo. En las disciplinas de ciencias de la salud, se precisan unas estrategias educativas específicas, ya que los estudios de ciencias de la Salud están fragmentados en diferentes especialidades, es por este motivo que el ABP es una herramienta que puede ser muy útil. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer si la utilización del ABP mejora la motivación de los estudiantes y también si influye en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes. Para ello, se incorporó en la metodología el uso de actividades que conllevaran ABP en dos asignaturas y dos cursos de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, (Intervención de la Terapia Ocupacional en Salud Mental I y técnicas terapéuticas). Dichas asignaturas fueron impartidas en la titulación de Terapia Ocupacional durante el curso académico 2013/2014. La muestra estuvo compuesta por un total de 106 estudiantes. Para medir la motivación, se administró el cuestionario de motivación y estrategias de aprendizaje (en sus siglas en inglés, MSLQ) al comienzo de las dos asignaturas para conocer el nivel de motivación del que partían. Cuando finalizaron las dos asignaturas se volvió a administrar a los estudiantes que habían participado en la encuesta inicial. Concretamente, se presentan las características de la experiencia, así como un análisis descriptivo sobre la relación entre el uso de la ABP y la nota final de las asignaturas. Se compararon también las calificaciones de asignaturas que no habían implementado el ABP en su metodología. Los resultados mostraron de forma general que los niveles de motivación son parecidos en la fase inicial y final, obteniéndose por lo general puntuaciones de 4 en aproximadamente el 50% de los encuestados. En cambio, cabe señalar que al compararse las notas de de los estudiantes en las asignaturas que habían implementado ABP y en las que no, los resultados mostraron que en las asignaturas con ABP las calificaciones finales fueron más altas que en aquellas asignaturas que no se implementó. Estos resultados indican que el uso de la metodología basada en ABP contribuye a que los estudiantes mantengan un nivel de motivación durante la asignatura, el cual a su vez influye positivamente en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantesUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Datasets for the validation of the "in vivo" siRNA-silencing of CD40 and for the detection of new markers of atherosclerosis progression in ApoE-deficient mice

AbstractData presented in this Data in Brief article correspond to the article "in vivo" silencing of CD40 reduces progression of experimental atherogenesis through a NFκB/miR-125b axis and reveals new potential mediators in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis" (M. Hueso, L. De Ramon, E. Navarro, E. Ripoll, J.M. Cruzado, J.M. Grinyo, J. Torras, 2016) [1]. Here, we describe the validation of the silencing of CD40 expression with a specific siRNA in ApoE−/− mouse aortas, and its systemic effects on splenic lymphocytic subpopulations as well as on the infiltration of aortic intima by F4/80+, galectin-3+ macrophages or by NF-κB+ cells. We also show the output of a Gene Ontology and TLDA analysis which allowed the detection of potential mediators of atherosclerosis progression. We provide the scientific community with a set of genes whose expression is increased during atherosclerosis progression but downregulated upon CD40 silencing

Quality of life of family caregivers of people with Down Syndrome

Objective: to analyze the perception of parents/caregivers of people with Down syndrome on quality of life. Methods: It is a qualitative study, which used for data collection semi-structured interviews with 10 caregiver parents of people with Down syndrome. To analyze the data, we used the content analysis technique. Results: It was observed that caregivers are mothers over the age of 30, who declared themselves as racially mixed (Pardo in Portuguese), live with a partner, practice some type of physical activity and attend any educational institution. Moreover, they had as main occupation the caregiver role. Caregivers reported that access to leisure; health; family relationships; general welfare; Material and rights were the factors that influence the quality of life. Conclusion: it was concluded that caregiver parents of people with Down syndrome had different views on the quality of life

The Costimulatory Pathways And T Regulatory Cells In Ischemia-reperfusion Injury: A Strong Arm In The Inflammatory Response?

Costimulatory molecules have been identified as crucial regulators in the inflammatory response in various immunologic disease models. These molecules are classified into four different families depending on their structure. Here, we will focus on various ischemia studies that use costimulatory molecules as a target to reduce the inherent inflammatory status. Furthermore, we will discuss the relevant role of T regulatory cells in these inflammatory mechanisms and the costimulatory pathways in which they are involved

Al2O3 microring resonators for the detectin of a cancer biomarker in undiluted urine

: Concentrations down to 3 nM of the rhS100A4 protein, associated with human tumor development, have been detected in undiluted urine using an integrated sensor based on microring resonators in the emerging Al2O3 photonic platform. The fabricated microrings were designed for operation in the C-band (λ = 1565 nm) and exhibited a high-quality factor in air of 3.2 × 105. The bulk refractive index sensitivity of the devices was ~100 nm/RIU (for TM polarization) with a limit of detection of ~10−6 RIU. A surface functionalization protocol was developed to allow for the selective binding of the monoclonal antibodies designed to capture the target biomarker to the surface of the Al2O3 microrings. The detection of rhS100A4 proteins at clinically relevant concentrations in urine is a big milestone towards the use of biosensors for the screening and early diagnosis of different cancers. Biosensors based on this microring technology can lead to portable, multiplexed and easy-to-use point of care device

Photovoltaic power resource at the Atacama Desert under climate change

The Atacama desert is a region with exceptional conditions for solar power production. However, despite its relevance, the impact of climate change on this resource in this region has barely been studied. Here, we use regional climate models to explore how climate change will affect the photovoltaic solar power resource per square meter ( ) in Atacama. Models project average reductions in of 1.5% and 1.7% under an RCP8.5 scenario, respectively, for 2021-2040 and 2041-2060. Under RCP2.6 and the same periods, reductions range between 1.2% and 0.5%. Also, we study the contribution to future changes in of the downwelling shortwave radiation, air temperature and wind velocity. We find that the contribution from changes in wind velocity is negligible. Future changes of downwelling shortwave radiation, under the RCP8.5 scenario, cause up to 87% of the decrease of for 2021-2040 and 84% for 2041-2060. Rising temperatures due to climate change are responsible for drops in ranging between 13%–19% under RCP2.6 and 14%–16% under RCP8.5.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/44Universidad de Vigo/CISUGMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. IJC2020-043745-IMinisterio de Universidade