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An Explanatory Model of the Relationships between Physical Activity, Social Support and Screen Time among Adolescents

Effective physical activity studies are necessary to understand how factors involved in physical activity mediate behaviour. Therefore, more reliable explanatory models can be generated in order to design effective actions to promote physical activity. The study had two aims: (1) to develop an explanatory model to identify and establish the relationships between physical activity, social support and screen time among adolescents; and (2) to contrast the explanatory structural model by means of a multi-group analysis according to sex. The study design was cross-sectional with descriptive and correlational analysis. The research was carried out with a representative sample of adolescents from the province of Soria (mean age 14.06 +/- 1.27 years). The instruments used were: Four by One-Day Physical Activity Questionnaire, Parent Support Scale and Peer Support Scale. The results show that social support had a negative relationship with screen time (r = -0.178; p <= 0.001); males had a positive relationship between physical activity and screen time (r = 0.118; p <= 0.05); and peer support had more influence on social support than parental support. In conclusion, the proposed model was effective in triangulating the relationships between physical activity, social support and screen time in a novel way, while allowing us to discriminate these results according to participants' sex

Microbial community composition of anoxic marine sediments in the Bay of Cádiz (Spain)

The composition of the microbial community inhabiting the anoxic coastal sediments of the Bay of Cádiz (southern Spain) was investigated using a molecular approach consisting of PCR cloning and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), based on 16S rRNA sequences. The total cell count was 1-5 × 108 cells/g sediment and, as determined by catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescent in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH), the proportion of Bacteria to Archaea was about 70:30. The analysis of 16S-rRNA gene sequences revealed a wide spectrum of microorganisms, which could be grouped into 111 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Many of the OTUs showed high phylogenetic similarity to microorganisms living in marine sediments of diverse geographic origin. The phylogenetic groups that were predominantly detected were Firmicutes, Deltaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria, accounting for 23, 15, and 14% of the clones, respectively. Diversity in the domain Archaea was significantly lower than in the domain Bacteria. The majority of the archaeal OTUs belonged to the Crenarchaeota phylum. Since most of the sequences could not be identified precisely at the genus/species level, the functional roles of the microorganisms in the ecosystem could not be inferred. However, seven OTUs affiliated with the Delta- and Epsilonproteobacteria were identified down to the genus level, with all of the identified genera known to occur in sulfate-rich marine environmentsThis work was partially supported by grant REN2001-2980-C02-02 from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science to J.L.S. We express our gratitude to PETRESA for funding under contract FGUAM 01130

A Solar Dually PVT Driven Direct Expansion Heat Pump One-Year Field Operation Results at Continental Climate

The high energy-consuming building sector needs to meet both electricity and heat demands. In a nearly zero energy building scenario, most of the consumed energy would be generated locally by means of renewable solutions that nowadays seem not to provide an attractive performance or cost-competitiveness. Solar-based technologies tend to be the most promising ones, but for high densely populated areas, the usual photovoltaic or thermal single approaches may not be efficient enough. The current work is focused on the analysis of the dual use of the solar resource by means of hybrid PVT collectors and their smart combination with direct expansion heat pumps through predictive control strategies. To that end, a system was developed, installed in a real-use single-family house at a continental climate for domestic hot water application, operated and monitored for one entire year. The average day indicator results show 83% renewable energy share, 220% self-sufficiency ratio, 41% heat pump self-consumption and 46% of the solar fraction.This research was funded by EIT InnoEnergy, grant number 56_2014_IP127_Handle and the APC was funded by Fundación TECNALIA Research & Innovation

A Solar Dually PVT Driven Direct Expansion Heat Pump One-Year Field Operation Results at Continental Climate

The high energy-consuming building sector needs to meet both electricity and heat demands. In a nearly zero energy building scenario, most of the consumed energy would be generated locally by means of renewable solutions that nowadays seem not to provide an attractive performance or cost-competitiveness. Solar-based technologies tend to be the most promising ones, but for high densely populated areas, the usual photovoltaic or thermal single approaches may not be efficient enough. The current work is focused on the analysis of the dual use of the solar resource by means of hybrid PVT collectors and their smart combination with direct expansion heat pumps through predictive control strategies. To that end, a system was developed, installed in a real-use single-family house at a continental climate for domestic hot water application, operated and monitored for one entire year. The average day indicator results show 83% renewable energy share, 220% self-sufficiency ratio, 41% heat pump self-consumption and 46% of the solar fraction.This research was funded by EIT InnoEnergy, grant number 56_2014_IP127_Handle and the APC was funded by Fundación TECNALIA Research & Innovation

Genetic, environmental and ontogenetic effects on cone serotiny in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.): abstract

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Reactivity and fate of secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS) in marine sediments

This research is focused on secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS), anionic surfactants widely used in household applications that access aquatic environments mainly via sewage discharges.We studied their sorption capacity and anaerobic degradation in marine sediments, providing the first data available on this topic. SAS partition coefficients increased towards those homologues having longer alkyl chains(from up to 141 L kg 1 for C14 to up to 1753 L kg 1 for C17), which were those less susceptible to undergo biodegradation. Overall, SAS removal percentages reached up to 98% after 166 days of incubation using anoxic sediments. The degradation pathway consisted on the formation of sulfocarboxylic acids after an initial fumarate attack of the alkyl chain and successive b-oxidations. This is the first study showing that SAS can be degraded in absence of oxygen, so this new information should be taken into account for future environmental risk assessments on these chemicals

Physical Activity, Energy Expenditure, Screen Time and Social Support in Spanish Adolescents—Towards an Explanatory Model about Health Risk Factors

Youth obesity has been a pandemic for decades. One of its causes is a low level of physical activity. It is necessary to know the specific situation of adolescents and the factors that influence it in order to be able to act accordingly. The first aim of the current study is to create an explanatory model to establish the relationships between light physical activity time, light physical activity energy expenditure, screen time and social support. The second aim is to propose a theoretical model specifying the relationships between moderate-vigorous physical activity time, moderate-vigorous physical activity energy expenditure, screen time and social support. The study design was non-experimental (ex post facto), descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional. A total of 694 adolescents from the region of Soria (12-17 years) participated in the study. The instruments administered were the Four by One-Day Physical Activity Questionnaire, Parent Support Scale and Peer Support Scale. Two structural equation models were developed to analyse the relationships between the variables that comprised the explanatory models. The results show that social support had a negative influence on screen time in the proposed model in relation to light physical activity (r = -0.210; p <= 0.001) and in the proposed one regarding moderate-vigorous physical activity (r = -0.173; p <= 0.05). Social support was negatively related to light physical activity time (r = -0.167; p <= 0.05). Family support had a greater influence than did peer support. In conclusion, the models for light and moderate-vigorous physical activity are useful to describe the relationships between time, energy expenditure, screen time and social support

Relationship between Physical Activity, Mediterranean Diet and Emotional Intelligence in Spanish Primary Education Students

There is an international social concern about the low levels of physical activity among young people. It is essential to know what factors influence the practice of physical activity in order to design effective proposals for health promotion. The study aims to: (1) classify primary school students according to their levels of out-of-school physical activity, Mediterranean diet, emotional attention, emotional clarity and emotional repair; (2) analyse descriptively and correlationally the adolescents' profiles of out-of-school physical activity, Mediterranean diet and emotional attention, clarity and repair. The study design was cross-sectional and descriptive-correlational. The sample consisted of 293 children aged 10-12 years in Granada (Spain). An ad hoc socio-academic questionnaire, the KIDMED test and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) were used for data collection. Four clusters were identified by the Ward's method and participants were classified using the K-means method. Subsequently, cluster classification was validated through the MANOVA test (F (861) = 106.12; p <= 0.001; f = 1.95). The strongest correlation was obtained in cluster 1 between emotional clarity and emotional repair (r = 0.56; p <= 0.01). In conclusion, the mean values of time spent in out-of-school physical activity, Mediterranean diet, emotional attention, emotional clarity and emotional repair of students are adequate and vary according to sex. There are significant differences among the physical activity levels of all clusters, as well as among the emotional variables of attention, clarity and repair. In addition, the correlations between the variables studied vary in each cluster

"Estamos obligados a pensar para no ser pensados por otros”. Entrevista a Amador Fernández-Savater

We interviewed Amador Fernández Savater, independent researcher, pirate philosopher -as he defines himself-, activist and editor. Within the framework of the interview, Amador opens us to thinking about the world and society from a practical philosophy.Entrevistamos a Amador Fernández Savater, investigador independiente, filósofo pirata -como él mismo se define-, activista y editor. En el marco de la entrevista, Amador nos abre a pensar el mundo y la sociedad desde una filosofía práctica