Adaptación de la metodología al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. Análisis de la opinión de los alumnos

Tradicionalmente la asignatura “Métodos Cuantitativos para la Economía y la Empresa” seguía una metodología basada en la conocida lección magistral y con un temido examen final como única evaluación. Con el objetivo de adaptar dicha metodología al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior, se han propuesto prácticas que faciliten el proceso de autoaprendizaje así como un nuevo sistema de evaluación continuo. El presente trabajo se centra en el análisis de la opinión del alumno, recogida mediante una encuesta, sobre la nueva metodología y los materiales elaborados

Testing common knowledge: are Northern Europeans and millennials more concerned about the environment?

This study explores whether there are differences in several environmental dimensions, when the European Region and Generation cohort are considered. In doing so, this study compares millennials in North and South Europe with members of Generation X in three environmental dimensions: attitudes, personal norms, and behavior. Using data from the European Social Survey (n = 6.216), the researchers tested the hypothesis that Northern Europeans and millennials have more pro-environmental standing than southerners and Generation Xers. The findings challenge the common belief that millennials are more committed to being environmentally conscious, showing that many millennials do not feel responsible for their climate footprint, nor do they behave in a way that shows more concern than previous generations to improve their environmental performance. Furthermore, contrary to expectations, Northern European participants are not the most committed, in all environmental dimensions, compared to Southern Europeans.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Functional differences found in the elderly living in the community

Introduction: Successful aging lies in cognitive and functional maintenance, and in the optimal performance of daily tasks that keep the elderly free of disability and dependence. However, there is little evidence for functional differences for gender and age, and how cognitive and physical demands in past working lives can affect them, to design more personalized occupational therapy interventions to prevent functional and cognitive impairment. Method: This observational descrip-tive study evaluated 367 older adults living in a community with subjective memory complaints and scored between 24 and 35 with the Spanish version of the “Mini-Mental State Examination (MEC-35)”. Basic activities of daily living (BADL) were studied with the Barthel Index, while instrumental ADL (IADL) were examined with the Lawton–Brody scale. Functional differences for gender, age, and physico-mental occupation were examined. Results: The significant differences found for gender indicated that men did better in BADL (p = 0.026) and women better performed IADL (p < 0.001). Differences between age groups suggest that the younger group (aged 64–75) obtained better results for BADL (p = 0.001) and IADL (p < 0.001). For physico-mental occupation, statistically significant differences were found only in IADL for mental (p = 0.034) and physical occupation (p = 0.005). Conclusions: Gender, age, and the cognitive and physical demands of occupational stages, can be important predictors of cognitive and functional impairment. These results can be generalized to other health centers in the province and to other Spanish Autonomous Communities because their socio-demographic variables are similar. It would be interesting to carry out multimodal personalized interventions that consider the factors that might affect functional impairment to preserve personal autonomy. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

“Who Cares?”: the acceptance of decentralized wastewater systems in regions without water problems

There is a growing interest in decentralized wastewater treatment systems, especially in regions with water scarcity problems or water management issues. This study aims to determine whether the perceived advantages and disadvantages (leading to acceptance) of decentralized wastewater plants in such regions are the same in regions where the population is not aware of these water issues. Firstly, this study systematically reviews previous findings on public perceptions of the acceptance of decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Then, the study details the results of a focus group study to determine whether the elements identified in the literature are also relevant in a region where people are unaware of water problems. The results show that a lack of awareness of water issues seems to be a critical factor influencing acceptance. Reframing the usefulness of these systems by focusing on other aspects, such as environmental sustainability, is key.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gobernanza en Iberoamérica: un reto para su seguridad y soberanía alimentaria

Antecedentes/Objetivos: El discurso político sobre el reto de la desnutrición ha aumentado y llevado a acuerdos nacionales e internacionales. Pero existe un nivel crucial de acción descuidado, centrado en los entornos y procesos que sustentan las políticas y su implementación. Se pretende analizar los factores de la gobernanza que influyen en el impulso de las políticas de nutrición en Iberoamérica, comparándolos con un grupo de países desarrollados, en 2012. Métodos: Estudio transversal ecológico para 2012, que utiliza el país como unidad de análisis (iberoamericanos, Canadá, nórdicos y España) sobre relación entre la gobernanza y 1. Seguridad alimentaria (SeA) y 2. Soberanía alimentaria (SoA). Fuentes información: Estadísticas de Naciones Unidas, Banco Mundial, FAO y UNICEF. Se realizo un modelo de regresión lineal simple, y ajustado por riqueza. Resultados: Controlado por la riqueza del país se detectan asociaciones entre las variables de seguridad alimentaria y soberanía alimentaria con las de gobernanza: La efectividad gubernamental se relaciona con el acceso al agua R2 = 67,4% (p = 0,002), prevalencia de subnutrición R2 = 44,9% (p = 0,02) intensidad déficit alimentario R2 = 51,5% (p = 0,03), desnutrición aguda R2 = 52,1% (p = 0,01). La voz y rendición de cuentas con el acceso al agua R2 = 66,4% (p = 0,003), desnutrición aguda R2 = 49,1% (p = 0,02). El estado de derecho con el acceso al agua R2 = 66,4% (p = 0,003), desnutrición aguda R2 = 51,1% (p = 0,01). El control de la corrupción con el acceso al agua R2 = 71,4% (p = 0,01), desnutrición aguda R2 = 49,8% (p = 0,02). La transparencia con el acceso al agua R2 = 69,5% (p = 0,001), desnutrición aguda R2 = 50,9% (p = 0,01). Y la calidad regulatoria con el acceso al agua R2 = 55,4% (p = 0,05) y desnutrición aguda R2 = 52,9% (p = 0,009). Conclusiones: La efectividad gubernamental es la condición de la gobernanza más ligada a la seguridad y soberanía alimentaria en los países Iberoamericanos. La disponibilidad de agua potable mejorada, se relaciona con todas las categorías de la gobernanza, y la desnutrición aguda con la mayoría. Siendo importante el impulso político para dar respuesta a la población vulnerable necesitada, las intervenciones para fomentar la disponibilidad, utilización y acceso a los alimentos todavía precisan mejorar y evaluar los procesos de toma de decisiones, y los procesos por los que las decisiones son implementadas, o no.Proyecto Prometeo. SENESCYT, Ecuador

Up-Regulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 Antioxidant Pathway in Macrophages by an Extract from a New Halophilic Archaea Isolated in Odiel Saltworks

The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in the progression of many inflammatory diseases. The search for antioxidants with the ability for scavenging free radicals from the body cells that reduce oxidative damage is essential to prevent and treat these pathologies. Haloarchaea are extremely halophilic microorganisms that inhabit hypersaline environments, such as saltworks or salt lakes, where they have to tolerate high salinity, and elevated ultraviolet (UV) and infrared radiations. To cope with these extreme conditions, haloarchaea have developed singular mechanisms to maintain an osmotic balance with the medium, and are endowed with unique compounds, not found in other species, with bioactive properties that have not been fully explored. This study aims to assess the potential of haloarchaea as a new source of natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. A carotenoid-producing haloarchaea was isolated from Odiel Saltworks (OS) and identified on the basis of its 16S rRNA coding gene sequence as a new strain belonging to the genus Haloarcula. The Haloarcula sp. OS acetone extract (HAE) obtained from the biomass contained bacterioruberin and mainly C18 fatty acids, and showed potent antioxidant capacity using ABTS assay. This study further demonstrates, for the first time, that pretreatment with HAE of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages results in a reduction in ROS production, a decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and up-regulation of the factor Nrf2 and its target gene heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), supporting the potential of the HAE as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of oxidative stress-related inflammatory diseases.This research was funded by the Operative FEDER Program-Andalucía 2014-2020 (US-1380844 and UHU-1257518), Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PID2019-110438RBC22-AEI/FEDER), the Andalusian government (I+D+i-JA-PAIDI-Retos projects 2020-PY20) and the “VII Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia” of The University of Seville. The work was partially funded by national funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) in the scope of the projects UIDB/04565/2020 and UIDP/04565/2020 of the Research Unit iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, and of the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the i4HB-Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy. P.G.-V acknowledges financial support from the “Margarita Salas” grant for the training of young doctors, University of Huelva

Empleo de CO2 presurizado como tecnología no térmica en la conservación de zumos

Póster presentado en: 9ª Reunión de Expertos en Tecnologías de Fluidos Supercríticos (Flucomp), 13 a 15 de junio de 2018, Madrid. Jornada Academia-Empresa (one‐to‐one)Este trabajo se centra en la aplicación de la tecnología no térmica HPCD (High Pressure Carbon Dioxide), basada en el empleo del dióxido de carbono a alta presión, generalmente inferior a 50 MPa, para la conservación de alimentos. Se ha estudiado específicamente su aplicación en el proceso de pasteurización de zumos con pH ácido como el de naranja1, manzana2 y tomate. Para ello se han determinado las cinéticas de inactivación de diferentes enzimas como polifenoloxidasa (PPO), responsable del pardeamiento enzimático y pectinmetilesterasa (PME), que junto con poligalacturonasa (PG) juegan un papel importante en la viscosidad de los zumos. El grado de inactivación enzimática encontrado depende tanto de la fuente de la enzima, como de las condiciones de procesado, tiempo, presión y temperatura. Así, en el caso del zumo de manzana se consiguieron actividades residuales en torno a 10 % para la PPO, mientras que para la PME fueron en torno a 65 % en las mismas condiciones de procesado, 60 min, 45ºC y 20 MPa. En este caso, la estructura más compleja de la PME, con tres subunidades frente a una de la PPO, la hace más resistente al tratamiento. Otra de las variables importantes en el tratamiento mediante HPCD es la relación CO2:volumen tratado. Se realizaron estudios con diversas enzimas comerciales (PPO y PME), encontrando que relaciones superiores a 3 g CO2:mL no conllevan un mayor grado de inactivación, pudiendo así optimizar el proceso desde un punto de vista económico. Estudios de espectroscopía de fluorescencia en estas enzimas comerciales tratadas mediante HPCD correlacionaron cambios en la estructura terciaria de la enzima con la pérdida de actividad enzimática de la mismas a diferentes condiciones de presión y temperatura.MINECO y FEDER, proyecto CTQ2015-64396-R y el contrato de AEI. MINECO, contrato FPI (BES-2013-063937) de RM y JCyL y FEDER, contrato de OBR (BU055U16)

Impact of Controlling the Site Distribution of Al Atoms on Catalytic Properties in Ferrierite-Type Zeolites

Zeolites with the ferrierite (FER) topology are synthesized using a combination of tetramethylammonium (TMA) cations with differently sized cyclic amines (pyrrolidine (Pyr), hexamethyleneimine (HMI), and 1,4- diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DAB)). Using these organic structure-directing agents (SDAs), low Si/Al ratios and concentrated synthesis mixtures favor the crystallization of FER materials. Increasing the size of the cyclic amine or decreasing the aluminum content leads to the crystallization of other phases or the creation of excessive amounts of connectivity defects. TMA cations play a decisive role in the synthesis of the FER materials, and their presence allows the use of HMI to synthesize FER. Proton MAS NMR is used to quantify the accessibility of pyridine to acid sites in these FER samples, where it is found that the FER + HMI + TMA sample contains only 27% acid sites in the 8-MR channels, whereas FER + Pyr and FER + Pyr + TMA contain 89% and 84%, respectively. The constraint index (CI) test and the carbonylation of dimethyl ether (DME) with carbon monoxide are used as probe reactions to evaluate how changes in the aluminum distribution in these FER samples affect their catalytic behavior. Results show that the use of Pyr as an SDA results in the selective population of acid sites in the 8-MR channels, whereas the use of HMI generates FER zeolites with an increased concentration of acid sites in the 10-MR channels