Estimation of genetic parameters for cheese-making traits in Spanish Churra sheep

Artículo de investigaciónThe global production of sheep milk is growing, and the main industrial use of sheep milk is cheese making. The Spanish Churra sheep breed is one of the most important native dairy breeds in Spain. The present study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for a wide range of traits influencing the cheese-making ability of Churra sheep milk. Using a total of 1,049 Churra ewes, we studied the following cheese-making traits: 4 traits related to milk coagulation properties (rennet coagulation time, curd-firming time, and curd firmness at 30 and 60 min after addition of rennet), 2 traits related to cheese yield (individual laboratory cheese yield and individual laboratory dried curd yield), and 3 traits measuring curd firmness over time (maximum curd firmness, time to attain maximum curd firmness, and syneresis). In addition, a list of milk traits, including the native pH of the milk and several milk production and composition traits (milk yield; the fat, protein, and dried extract percentages; and the somatic cell count), were also analyzed for the studied animals. After discarding the noncoagulating samples (only 3.7%), data of 1,010 ewes were analyzed with multiple-trait animal models by using the restricted maximum likelihood method to estimate (co)variance components, heritabilities, and genetic correlations. In general, the heritability estimates were low to moderate, ranging from 0.08 (for the individual laboratory dried curd yield trait) to 0.42 (for the fat percentage trait). High genetic correlations were found within pairs of related traits (i.e., 0.93 between fat and dried extract percentages, −0.93 between the log of the curd-firming time and curd firmness at 30 min, 0.70 between individual laboratory cheese yield and individual laboratory dried curd yield, and −0.94 between time to attain maximum curd firmness and syneresis). Considering all the information provided here, we suggest that in addition to the current consideration of the protein percentage trait for improving cheese yield traits, the inclusion of the pH of milk as a measured trait in the Churra dairy breeding program would represent an efficient strategy for improving the cheese-making ability of milk from this breed.S

Effects of dry needling on gait and muscle tone in Parkinson''s disease: a randomized clinical trial

Background: Alterations in gait and muscular rigidity are common and disabling in persons with Parkinson''s disease (PD). Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether a single dry needling (DN) session can promote changes in gait and muscle tone in the lower extremities as well as in the evolution of the disease in persons with PD. Methods: A randomized double-blind clinical trial was designed. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) that received a session of DN over the semitendinosus, medial gastrocnemius, soleus and rectus femoris muscles, or to a control group (CG) that received a session of sham DN in the same muscles. The effects of DN were assessed using the timed up and go test (TUG), 10 meter walk test (10MWT), 6 minute walk test (6MWT) and myotonometry before, immediately after, and 7 days after the intervention. Results: Thirty-three participants were analyzed aged 69.9 +/- 7.2 years (mean +/- SD; 39% female). There were no significant differences between the IG and CG for any outcomes. Significant differences were observed when comparing the Pre and Follow-up values in the IG for functional mobility of gait in the TUG (p = 0.049), gait speed in the 10MWT (p = 0.041) and muscle tone in the lower extremities by myotonometry (frequency (p = 0.027) and stiffness (p = 0.013)). By comparison, there were no significant within-group differences in the CG. Conclusion: A single session of DN had no measurable benefit compared to a single session of sham DN. Within-group changes in the IG suggested improvements in functional mobility of gait and gait speed, as well as changes in the muscle tone in the lower extremities of PD patients, which could be worthy of further exploration by future research

Testing the chemical tagging technique with open clusters

Context. Stars are born together from giant molecular clouds and, if we assume that the priors were chemically homogeneous and well-mixed, we expect them to share the same chemical composition. Most of the stellar aggregates are disrupted while orbiting the Galaxy and most of the dynamic information is lost, thus the only possibility of reconstructing the stellar formation history is to analyze the chemical abundances that we observe today. Aims. The chemical tagging technique aims to recover disrupted stellar clusters based merely on their chemical composition. We evaluate the viability of this technique to recover co-natal stars that are no longer gravitationally bound. Methods. Open clusters are co-natal aggregates that have managed to survive together. We compiled stellar spectra from 31 old and intermediate-age open clusters, homogeneously derived atmospheric parameters, and 17 abundance species, and applied machine learning algorithms to group the stars based on their chemical composition. This approach allows us to evaluate the viability and efficiency of the chemical tagging technique. Results. We found that stars at different evolutionary stages have distinct chemical patterns that may be due to NLTE effects, atomic diffusion, mixing, and biases. When separating stars into dwarfs and giants, we observed that a few open clusters show distinct chemical signatures while the majority show a high degree of overlap. This limits the recovery of co-natal aggregates by applying the chemical tagging technique. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement if more elements are included and models are improved.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Corrected typo

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Tracing interstellar extinction

Large spectroscopic surveys have enabled in the recent years the computation of three-dimensional interstellar extinction maps thanks to accurate stellar atmospheric parameters and line-of-sight distances. Such maps are complementary to 3D maps extracted from photometry, allowing a more thorough study of the dust properties. Our goal is to use the high-resolution spectroscopic survey Gaia-ESO in order to obtain with a good distance resolution the interstellar extinction and its dependency as a function of the environment and the Galactocentric position. We use the stellar atmospheric parameters of more than 5000 stars, obtained from the Gaia-ESO survey second internal data release, and combine them with optical (SDSS) and near-infrared (VISTA) photometry as well as different sets of theoretical stellar isochrones, in order to calculate line-of-sight extinction and distances. The extinction coefficients are then compared with the literature to discuss their dependancy on the stellar parameters and position in the Galaxy. Within the errors of our method, our work does not show that there is any dependence of the interstellar extinction coefficient on the atmospheric parameters of the stars. We do not find any evidence of the variation of E(J-H)/E(J-K) with the angle from the Galactic centre nor with Galactocentric distance. This suggests that we are dealing with a uniform extinction law in the SDSS ugriz bands and the near-IR JHKs bands. Therefore, extinction maps using mean colour-excesses and assuming a constant extinction coefficient can be used without introducing any systematic errors.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, 1 Appendix accepted for publication in Astronomy&Astrophysic

Trastornos alimenticios, ansiedad y depresión en una muestra de estudiantes de psicología de la Universidad de Costa Rica

This research seeks to determine the correlation between anxiety, depression and eating disorders in a sample of psychology students as well as see the impact of them. The sample consisted of 71 students, we used the BDI, DAI and the EAT-26. MANOVA analysis was performed, and Pearson correlations and analysis of Cronbach. Results. We found a significant effect of gender on the level of eating disorders and a significant correlation between eating disorders and anxiety. Similarly, women scored higher on eating disorders than men, which is supported by the literature on eating disorders.La presente investigación busca determinar la correlación entre la ansiedad, la depresión y los trastornos alimenticios en una muestra de estudiantes de psicología así como ver la incidencia de los mismos. La muestra estaba compuesta por 71 estudiantes, se utilizó el BDI, DAI y el EAT-26. Se realizaron análisis MANOVA, correlaciones de Pearson y Análisis de Cronbach. Resultados. Se halló un efecto significativo del sexo sobre el nivel de trastornos alimenticios así como una correlación significativa entre trastornos alimenticios y ansiedad. Asimismo las mujeres puntuaron más alto en trastornos alimenticios que los hombres, lo cual encuentra apoyo en la literatura sobre trastornos alimenticios

Constructing a small modular stellarator in Latin America

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84938118149&partnerID=40&md5=1d385f1e177901beaf6f30228abdd67bThis paper aims at briefly describing the design and construction issues of the stellarator of Costa Rica 1 (SCR-1). The SCR-1 is a small modular stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma developed by the Plasma Laboratory for Fusion Energy and Applications of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR). SCR-1 will be a 2-field period small modular stellarator with an aspect ratio > 4.4; low shear configuration with core and edge rotational transform equal to 0.32 and 0.28; it will hold plasma in a 6061-T6 aluminum torus shaped vacuum vessel with an minor plasma radius 54.11 mm, a volume of 13.76 liters (0.01 m3), and major radius R = 238 mm. Plasma will be confined in the volume by on axis magnetic field 43.8 mT generated by 12 modular coils with 6 turns each, carrying a current of 767.8 A per turn providing a total toroidal field (TF) current of 4.6 kA-turn per coil. The coils will be supplied by a bank of cell batteries of 120 V. Typical length of the plasma pulse will be between 4 s to 10 s. The SCR-1 plasmas will be heated by ECH second harmonic at 2.45 GHz with a plasma density cut-off value of 7.45 × 1016 m-3. Two magnetrons with a maximum output power of 2 kW and 3 kW will be used. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.Ad Astra Rocket Company,Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica,International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),Universidad Nacional de Costa Ric

Lo que nos preocupa a los médicos. Reflexión y enseñanza: Una experiencia educativa en el Grado de Medicina Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Los valores clínicos en el ejercicio de la medicina son múltiples y muchas veces los médicos no somos conscientes de los mismos cuando trabajamos. No existen técnicas suficientemente contrastadas para la enseñanza efectiva de la reflexión y el profesionalismo. Objetivos: Integrar la enseñanza del humanismo y del profesionalismo en el currículum del estudiante de medicina en etapas tempranas. Utilizar la reflexión personal, como técnica más efectiva para la docencia del profesionalismo. Material y Métodos: Se invitó, a través del envío de un vídeo, a los estudiantes de 2º curso Medicina, en la asignatura Introducción a la Práctica clínica y tras la rotación por consulta en el centro de salud, a participar en un seminario de reflexión "sobre lo que nos preocupa a los médicos", vivencia de la enfermedad y profesionalismo. La sesión de 90 minutos, fue dirigida por los profesores responsables de la asignatura y grabada. Se acompañó de un observador externo, psiquiatra, para la evaluación posterior. Resultados: Las preocupaciones recogidas fueron: Lograr una calidad humana en la atención al individuo y la comunidad, Habilidades en comunicación, Compromiso emocional. Gestionar sus miedos. Tras el feed back expresan ganaron en confianza, al poder dar salida a sus dudas, y reforzada la vocación médica. Conclusiones: La reflexión se identifica como un componente clave del profesionalismo, y se debiera incluir en los planes de estudio formativos de los profesionales de la saludThe clinical values in the practice of medicine are multiple and many times doctors are not aware of them when we work. There are no sufficiently proven techniques for effective teaching of reflection and professionalism. Objectives: Integrate the teaching of humanism and professionalism in the curriculum of the medical student in early stages. Use personal reflection as the most effective technique for teaching professionalism. Material Methods: Through the sending of a video, the students of the 2nd year Medicine were invited in the subject Introduction to Clinical Practice and after the rotation by consultation in the health center, to participate in a reflection seminar "on what we care about doctors ", experience of the disease and professionalism. The 90-minute session was directed by the teachers responsible for the subject and recorded. He was accompanied by an external observer, a psychiatrist, for further evaluation. Results: The concerns collected were: Achieve a human quality in the attention to the individual and the community, Communication skills, Emotional commitment and Manage your fears. After the feedback they expressed confidence, being able to answer their questions, and reinforced the medical vocation. Conclusions: Reflection is identified as a key component of professionalism, and should be included in the training curricula of health professional

Fast seismic assessment of built urban areas with the accuracy of mechanical methods using a feedforward neural network

Capacity curves obtained from nonlinear static analyses are widely used to perform seismic assessments of structures as an alternative to dynamic analysis. This paper presents a novel ‘en masse’ method to assess the seismic vulnerability of urban areas swiftly and with the accuracy of mechanical methods. At the core of this methodology is the calculation of the capacity curves of low-rise reinforced concrete buildings using neural networks, where no modeling of the building is required. The curves are predicted with minimal error, needing only basic geometric and material parameters of the structures to be specified. As a first implementation, a typology of prismatic buildings is defined and a training set of more than 7000 structures generated. The capacity curves are calculated through push-over analysis using SAP2000. The results feature the prediction of 100-point curves in a single run of the network while maintaining a very low mean absolute error. This paper proposes a method that improves current seismic assessment tools by providing a fast and accurate calculation of the vulnerability of large sets of buildings in urban environments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and post-GWAS analyses for technological traits in Assaf and Churra dairy breeds

20 p.This study aimed to perform a GWAS to identify genomic regions associated with milk and cheese-making traits in Assaf and Churra dairy sheep breeds; second, it aimed to identify possible positional and functional candidate genes and their interactions through post-GWAS studies. For 2,020 dairy ewes from 2 breeds (1,039 Spanish Assaf and 981 Churra), milk samples were collected and analyzed to determine 6 milk production and composition traits and 6 traits related to milk coagulation properties and cheese yield. The genetic profiles of the ewes were obtained using a genotyping chip array that included 50,934 SNP markers. For both milk and cheese-making traits, separate single-breed GWAS were performed using GCTA software. The set of positional candidate genes identified via GWAS was subjected to guilt-by-association-based prioritization analysis with ToppGene software. Totals of 84 and 139 chromosome-wise significant associations for the 6 milk traits and the 6 cheese-making traits were identified in this study. No significant SNPs were found in common between the 2 studied breeds, possibly due to their genetic heterogeneity of the phenotypes under study. Additionally, 63 and 176 positional candidate genes were located in the genomic intervals defined as confidence regions in relation to the significant SNPs identified for the analyzed traits for Assaf and Churra breeds. After the functional prioritization analysis, 71 genes were identified as promising positional and functional candidate genes and proposed as targets of future research to identify putative causative variants in relation to the traits under examination. In addition, this multitrait study allowed us to identify variants that have a pleiotropic effect on both milk production and cheese-related traits. The incorporation of variants among the proposed functional and positional candidate genes into genomic selection strategies represent an interesting approach for achieving rapid genetic gains, specifically for those traits difficult to measure, such as cheese-making traits.S

Why does the ground shake?

This manual is designed to support the training of primary school teachers, instructors and technicians, who want to improve their knowledge and develop activities about seismic and tsunami risk. The contents and information of this document come from researches carried out at present, and also as the continuation of other projects in which the author has participated, such as the game "Treme-Treme".POCTEP-INTERREG España-Portugal e Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio