Agronomic iron-biofortification by activated hydrochars of spent coffee grounds

This work was supported by projects PY20_00585 and RDPTC-2018 (AT17_6096_OTRI UGR) from Andalusian Ministry of Economic Transformation, Knowledge, Industry and Universities and FEDER.Iron biofortification has been of main interest for tackling iron deficiency anemia, one of the highest prevalence among micronutrient deficiencies (hidden hunger) in developing countries. This study investigated the effect of activated spent coffee grounds (SCG) and its hydrochars at three temperatures (160 degrees C, 180 degrees C, 200 degrees C) as bio-chelates to level up the iron content of lettuce. Four bio-chelates (ASCG-Fe, AH160-Fe, AH180-Fe and AH200-Fe) were obtained by activation and Fe-functionalization. A pot trial was conducted at doses of 0.2% of the bio-chelates on lettuce with two controls: soil without biofortifying agents (control) and a commercial chelate (control-Fe). Outcomes showed no significant differences (p < 0.05) in soil properties nor in plant growth and morphology, indicating absence of phytotoxicity. All bio-chelates enhanced iron content of plants between 41% (AH200-Fe) and 150% (AH160-Fe) compared to control. The best biofortification effect performed by AH160-Fe was similar to control-Fe (169%), also in terms of soil-plant efficiency both products showed the same transfer factor of 0.07. A proportional impact (up to 150%) was seen on the contribution to the recommended daily intake (RDI). Moreover, higher contents of Mn (29%) and Cu (133%) was evidenced in lettuce with the application of ASCG-Fe and AH180-Fe. These findings suggest activated SCG hydrochars, better than SCG, at small (sub-toxic) doses can successfully achieve agronomic iron biofortification.Andalusian Ministry of Economic Transformation, Knowledge, Industry and Universities PY20_00585, RDPTC-2018 (AT17_6096_OTRI UGR)FEDE

The Selection of Anthropogenic Habitat by Wildlife as an Ecological Consequence of Rural Exodus: Empirical Examples From Spain

[Abstract] The increasing urbanization of the landscape is a major component of global change worldwide. However, it is puzzling that wildlife is selecting anthropogenic habitats despite the availability of apparently high–quality semi–natural (i.e. less intensively modified) habitats. Definitive explanations for this process are still lacking. We have previously suggested that colonization of the urban habitat is initially triggered by ecological processes that take place outside urban areas as a consequence of past rural exodus. Here we present a diverse array of examples of selection of several types of anthropogenic habitat by wildlife in Spain (including transportation infrastructure, human–exclusion areas, urban areas under construction, cities, reservoirs, quarries and landfills) in support of this idea. Wildlife is moving out of its historical ecological refuges and losing fear of harmless urban humans. Mesopredators are rebounding by mesopredator release, due to ceased human persecution, and shrubs and trees are claiming former agricultural habitats. Together, these factors force many species to move to urbanized areas where they find open habitats, food associated with these habitats, and protection against predation. Hence, the classical balance of costs and benefits that takes place once inside urban areas, would actually be a second step of the process of colonization of urban areas. A better understanding of the initial triggers of urban colonization could help us increase the biological value of human–made habitats for wildlife in the future.[Resumen] La fauna silvestre selecciona hábitats antropógenos como consecuencia ecológica del éxodo rural: ejemplos empíricos de España Uno de los principales componentes del cambio global en todo el mundo es el aumento de la urbanización del territorio. Sin embargo, es desconcertante que la fauna silvestre seleccione hábitats antropógenos a pesar de que existan hábitats seminaturales (modificados con menor intensidad) aparentemente de buena calidad. Todavía no existe una explicación definitiva para este proceso. Se ha sugerido con anterioridad que la colonización de los hábitats urbanos se produce en una primera fase a causa de procesos ecológicos que tienen lugar fuera de las zonas urbanas, como consecuencia del éxodo rural del pasado. Para respaldar esta idea, en este estudio presentamos una serie de ejemplos en los que diversas especies de fauna silvestre de España seleccionan varios tipos de hábitats antropogénicos (infraestructuras de transporte, zonas de acceso restringido, zonas urbanas en construcción, ciudades, embalses, canteras y vertederos) por razones asociadas al despoblamiento del rural. La fauna silvestre está saliendo de sus refugios ecológicos y está perdiendo el miedo a los humanos inofensivos de las zonas urbanas. Los mesodepredadores están repuntando debido a la liberación del mesodepredador y al cese de la persecución humana, y la vegetación espontánea está volviendo a colonizar los antiguos hábitats agrícolas. Estos factores obligan a muchas especies a desplazarse a zonas urbanas donde encuentran hábitats abiertos, alimento asociado a estos hábitats y protección contra la depredación. Por consiguiente, el balance de costes y beneficios en el seno de las zonas urbanas, sería en realidad un segundo componente del proceso. Entender mejor los factores iniciales que desencadenan la colonización del medio urbano podría ayudarnos a dar más valor biológico para la fauna silvestre a los hábitats creados por los seres humanos.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2018/5

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma with prominent shadow (ghost) cell differentiation. An unreported neoplasm of the parotid gland

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) is an aggressive type of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) predominant in the upper aerodigestive tract. To our knowledge, only one case of that tumor has been previously described in the parotid gland. Shadow (ghost) cell differentiation (SCD) is a specialized form of keratinization characteristic of pilomatricoma, and other skin tumors with follicular differentiation. SCD has also been described infrequently in some visceral carcinomas and rarely in the minor salivary glands. Recently, an SCC with prominent SCD has been reported in the parotid. We report for the first time the case of parotid BSCC with prominent SCD in an 87-year-old man. He was admitted due to the appearance in the last few months of a mass, painful on palpation, in the left parotid region. Imaging studies and tru-cut biopsies indicated the need for surgical removal. A left superficial parotidectomy, including the branch of the cervicofacial nerve, was performed. The BSCC showed predominance (62%) of SCD. Immunohistochemically, the basaloid cells were positive for ?-catenin, pan-cytokeratin (pan-CK) AE1?AE3, CK19, high-molecular-weight CK (HMWCK), p63, p40, and cluster of differentiation 10 (CD10) in a diffuse pattern. No signs of recurrence or metastasis were observed four months after surgery. The main differential diagnoses include nuclear protein in testis (NUT) carcinoma, adamantinoma-like Ewing sarcoma, embryonal carcinoma, and basal cell adenocarcinoma of the solid type. SCD in BSCC of the parotid should be recognized to avoid misdiagnosis, especially in small samples. Although rare, BSCC with SCD should be added to the list of tumors that may originate in the parotid gland.Funding: This study was not funded externally

Hydrochars Derived from Spent Coffee Grounds as Zn Bio-Chelates for Agronomic Biofortification

Previous studies have attributed both phytotoxicity and the capacity to mobilize nutrient elements to the presence of polyphenols and melanoidins in spent coffee grounds (SCG) and SCG-hydrochars obtained through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). This work aimed to evaluate SCG and two SCG-hydrochars obtained at 160 and 200 °C that were functionalized with Zn salts (bio-chelates), to achieve the in vitro biofortification of lettuce. Two application modes were established: (1) a fixed Zn concentration of 10 mg kg−1 of soil and (2) a fixed dose of 0.5% bio-product. Soil alone (control A) and commercial chelates (control B) were used as controls. Outcomes showed that SCG-hydrochars retain the capacity to mobilize Zn compared to SCG. However, the chelating capacity was reduced (Zn: 94%) and the toxicity was significantly increased (p < 0.05) with higher temperatures of HTC (200 °C). Both fresh and dry lettuce weights were less affected at doses of 0.5% of bio-product and registered a maximum increase of 136% of Zn in the plant content. The present study approaches the possibility of using these by-products as bioinorganic fertilizers at subtoxic doses, although more research is neededPY20_00585 from FEDER and RDPTC-2018 (AT17_6096_OTRI UGR) from the Andalusia n Ministry of Economic Transformation, Knowledge, Industry and Universities

Credibilidad de los medios de comunicación: análisis de la prensa diaria desde el comportamiento del consumidor

Media credibility: analysis of the daily press based on consumer behaviour. We analysed mass media credibility, focusing particularly on generalist journals. We carried out structural equation modeling, based on a sample comprised of 454 questionnaires relative to the newspapers El país, El mundo, Abc, La razón and La voz de Galicia, in order to analyze the antecedents and consequences of credibility. The results obtained show the important influence of perceived quality, media image and awareness on consumers’ attitudes, along with the influence of attitude on media credibility. Our findings provide useful insights for mass media managers that may enhance media image and awareness, along with consumers’ perceptions of quality, in an increasingly competitive environment

Credibilidad de los medios de comunicación: análisis de la prensa diaria desde el comportamiento del consumidor

Media credibility: analysis of the daily press based on consumer behaviour. We analysed mass media credibility, focusing particularly on generalist journals. We carried out structural equation modeling, based on a sample comprised of 454 questionnaires relative to the newspapers El país, El mundo, Abc, La razón and La voz de Galicia, in order to analyze the antecedents and consequences of credibility. The results obtained show the important influence of perceived quality, media image and awareness on consumers’ attitudes, along with the influence of attitude on media credibility. Our findings provide useful insights for mass media managers that may enhance media image and awareness, along with consumers’ perceptions of quality, in an increasingly competitive environment

Media credibility: analysis of the daily press based on consumer behaviour

We analysed mass media credibility, focusing particularly on generalist journals. We carried out structural equation modeling, based on a sample comprised of 454 questionnaires relative to the newspapers El país, El mundo, Abc, La razón and La voz de Galicia , in order to analyze the antecedents and consequences of credibility. The results obtained show the important influence of perceived quality, media image and awareness on consumers’ attitudes, along with the influence of attitude on media credibility. Our findings provide useful insights for mass media managers that may enhance media image and awareness, along with consumers’ perceptions of quality, in an increasingly competitive environment

The effect of breath pacing on task switching and working memory

The cortical and subcortical circuit regulating both cognition and cardiac autonomic interactions are already well established. This circuit has mainly been analyzed from cortex to heart. Thus, the heart rate variability (HRV) is usually considered a reflection of cortical activity. In this paper, we investigate whether HRV changes affect cortical activity. Short-term local autonomic changes were induced by three breathing strategies: spontaneous (Control), normal (NB) and slow paced breathing (SB). We measured the performance in two cognition domains: executive functions and processing speed. Breathing maneuvres produced three clearly differentiated autonomic states, which preconditioned the cognitive tasks. We found that the SB significantly increased the HRV low frequency (LF) power and lowered the power spectral density (PSD) peak to 0.1Hz. Meanwhile, executive function was assessed by the working memory test, whose accuracy significantly improved after SB, with no significant changes in the response times. Processing speed was assessed by a multitasking test. Consistently, the proportion of correct answers (success rate) was the only dependent variable affected by short-term and long-term breath pacing. These findings suggest that accuracy, and not timing of these two cognitive domains would benefit from short-term SB in this study population.Fil: Bonomini, Maria Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Argentino de Matemática Alberto Calderón; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, Mikel Val. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia; España. Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena; EspañaFil: Morcillo, Alejandro Diaz. Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena; EspañaFil: Segovia, Maria Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vicente, Jose Manuel Ferrandez. Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena; EspañaFil: Fernández Jover, Eduardo. Universidad de Miguel Hernández; Españ

The Role of Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging Technique in the Lumbopelvic Region as a Diagnosis and Treatment Tool in Physiotherapy: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.

Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) technique seems to be a valid and reliable tool for diagnosis and treatment in physiotherapy and has been widely studied in the lumbopelvic region the last three decades. The aims for this utility in clinical settings must be review through a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression. A systematic review was designed following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines with PROSPERO registration and per review in all phases of the process using COVIDENCE, analysis of risk of bias and meta-analysis using REVMAN, and meta-regression calculation using STATA. Database screening provided 6544 references, out of which 321 reported narrative synthesis, and 21 reported quantitative synthesis, while only 7 of them provided comparable data to meta-analyze the variables pain and muscle thickness. In most cases, the forest plots showed considerable I2 heterogeneity indexes for multifidus muscle thickness (I2 = 95%), low back pain (I2 = 92%) and abdominal pain (I2 = 95%), not important for transversus abdominis muscle thickness (I2 = 22%), significant heterogenity (I2 = 69%) depending on the subgroup and not important internal oblique muscle thickness (I2 = 0%) and external oblique muscle thickness (I2 = 0%). Meta-regression did not provide significant data for the correlations between the variables analyzed and the intervention, age, and BMI (Body Mass Index). This review reveals that RUSI could contribute to a high reliability of the measurements in the lumbopelvic region with validity and reliability for the assessments, as well as showing promising results for diagnosis and intervention assessment in physiotherapy compared to the traditional model, allowing for future lines of research in this area.post-print835 K

Objective assessment of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) using an infinite runner-based computer game: A pilot study

This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).In the last few years, several computerized tasks have been developed to increase the objectivity of the diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This article proposes the 'running raccoon' video game to assess the severity of inattention in patients diagnosed with ADHD. Unlike existing tests, the proposed tool is a genuine video game in which the patient must make a raccoon avatar jump to avoid falling into different gaps. The distance to the gap is recorded for each jump. To evaluate the proposed game, an experiment was conducted in which 32 children diagnosed with ADHD participated. For each participant, the median and interquartile range of these distances were calculated, along with the number of omissions. Experimental results showed a significant correlation between the participants' inattention (measured by the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Normal Behavior rating scale (SWAN) inattention subscale) with each of these three measures. In addition to its accuracy, other benefits are its short duration and the possibility of being run on both standard computers and mobile devices. These characteristics facilitate its acceptance in clinical environments or even its telematic use. The obtained results, together with the characteristics of the video game, make it an excellent tool to support clinicians in the diagnosis of ADHD.This research was partially funded by the Spanish National Project, grant number RTI2018-101857-B-I00