Art Easel: An Urban Proporsal from Pedagogy, Art and Play

[Resumen] Art Easel es una propuesta desde la pedagogía, el arte, el juego y la arquitectura para involucrar a la ciudadanía y en especial a la infancia en el uso del espacio público. El presente proyecto nace como consecuencia de un concurso internacional propuesto por City of Vancouver’s VIVA, Vancouver, una “plataforma de innovación del espacio público y urbanismo táctico de la ciudad de Vancouver que ofrece acciones a corto plazo para inspirar y permitir cambios a largo plazo”. VIVA y la organización Vancouver Public Space Network organizaron el concurso Life Between Umbrellas. Tenía como objetivo generar ideas para el juego y la vida en el espacio público especialmente en días de lluvia. Bajo este paraguas se establecen una serie de sesiones y talleres con niños y familias que tendrán por desenlace una serie de propuestas vinculadas al concurso internacional de ideas. El presente artículo es una investigación realizada en paralelo al proceso del proyecto, sus hipótesis, génesis, sus etapas previas y sus conclusiones a posteriori. Es una investigación aplicada donde la contextualización pedagógica es especialmente importante. El proceso y las realizaciones finales constituyen un ejemplo de activación del espacio público a través del arte y visibilizan el trabajo con infancia y familias al tiempo que exponen metodologías activas en el campo del codiseño y la participación vinculada a la educación artística.[Abstract] Art Easel is a proposal from pedagogy, art, play and architecture to involve citizens and especially children in the use of public space. This project was born as a result of an international competition proposed by City of Vancouver’s VIVA, Vancouver, a “public space innovation platform and tactical urbanism of the city of Vancouver that offers short-term actions to inspire and allow long-term changes” . VIVA and the Vancouver Public Space Network organized the Life Between Umbrellas contest. It aimed to generate ideas for play and life in public space, especially on rainy days. Under this umbrella, a series of sessions and workshops with children and families are established that will result in a series of proposals linked to the international ideas competition. This article is an investigation carried out in parallel to the process of the project, its hypotheses, genesis, its previous stages and its subsequent conclusions. It is an applied re-search where pedagogical contextualization is especially important. The process and the final achievements constitute an example of the activation of the public space through art and make visible the work with children and families while exposing active methodologies in the field of co-design and participation linked to artistic education

Genetic differentiation for size at first reproduction through male versus female functions in the widespread Mediterranean tree Pinus pinaster

Background and Aims The study of local adaptation in plant reproductive traits has received substantial attention in short-lived species, but studies conducted on forest trees are scarce. This lack of research on long-lived species represents an important gap in our knowledge, because inferences about selection on the reproduction and life history of short-lived species cannot necessarily be extrapolated to trees. This study considers whether the size for first reproduction is locally adapted across a broad geographical range of the Mediterranean conifer species Pinus pinaster. In particular, the study investigates whether this monoecious species varies genetically among populations in terms of whether individuals start to reproduce through their male function, their female function or both sexual functions simultaneously. Whether differences among populations could be attributed to local adaptation across a climatic gradient is then considered. Methods Male and female reproduction and growth were measured during early stages of sexual maturity of a P. pinaster common garden comprising 23 populations sampled across the species range. Generalized linear mixed models were used to assess genetic variability of early reproductive life-history traits. Environmental correlations with reproductive life-history traits were tested after controlling for neutral genetic structure provided by 12 nuclear simple sequence repeat markers. Key Results Trees tended to reproduce first through their male function, at a size (height) that varied little among source populations. The transition to female reproduction was slower, showed higher levels of variability and was negatively correlated with vegetative growth traits. Several female reproductive traits were correlated with a gradient of growth conditions, even after accounting for neutral genetic structure, with populations from more unfavourable sites tending to commence female reproduction at a lower individual size. Conclusions The study represents the first report of genetic variability among populations for differences in the threshold size for first reproduction between male and female sexual functions in a tree species. The relatively uniform size at which individuals begin reproducing through their male function probably represents the fact that pollen dispersal is also relatively invariant among sites. However, the genetic variability in the timing of female reproduction probably reflects environment-dependent costs of cone production. The results also suggest that early sex allocation in this species might evolve under constraints that do not apply to other conifer

Comparison of Raman-scattering and Shubnikov-de Haas measurements to determine charge density in doped semiconductors

We have verified the accuracy of free-charge determinations from Raman scattering in doped semiconductors by comparing the results obtained from phonon-plasmon coupled-mode line-shape fits with the charge-density values extracted from the analysis of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. The experiments were carried out on n-InP layers, and conduction band nonparabolicity was included both in the Lindhard-Mermin model used to fit the Raman spectra and in the Shubnikov-de Haas analysis. We find a very good agreement between Raman and magnetotransport results, which confirms the reliability of the charge-density determination from Raman-scattering measurements when the line-shape analysis is carried out using the Lindhard-Mermin model

Frequency response of Valencia oranges to selective harvesting by vibration

Citrus mechanical harvesting has been investigated since the 1960’s. Even though mechanical harvesting could significantly lower production costs, the implementation by the private sector has been slow. The current harvesting technologies detach the fruits with trunk, canopy or branch vibration. For late-season sweet orange varieties which simultaneously bear mature fruit, immature fruitlets and flowers shaker harvesting decreases the subsequent year’s yield. This study, investigated the frequency response of mature fruits and immature fruitlets to determine the optimum frequency range for an efficient and selective harvest. Laboratory vibration transmission tests were conducted with 14 branches bearing 76 mature fruits and 151 immature ‘Valencia’ fruitlets. The fruit and branch response to the forced vibration was measured by several sets of five triaxial accelerometers with a dynamic signal analyser. Three frequency ranges with the highest vibration transmission values were identified for mechanical harvesting lower than 10 Hz. The first frequency range (1.5-2.5 Hz) corresponded best with the most efficient vibration transmission, involving more than 90% of fruit. The second frequency range (4.5-5 Hz) successfully discriminated between mature fruit and immature fruitlets. In this frequency range, 53.4% of mature fruit amplified the acceleration a mean value of 2.2 times, while only 7.3% of immature fruitlets amplified the acceleration with a mean value of 4.4 times. The lowest third frequency range had a vibration transmission value of 7-8 Hz. The frequency response of mature citrus fruits, and their markedly higher fruit mass, were significant factors in efficient selective mechanical harvesting

FAP- Anion Ionic Liquids Used in the Lubrication of a Steel–Steel Contact

This study compares the tribological behavior of two ionic liquids ([BMP][FAP] and [(NEMM)MOE][FAP]) used as oil additive for the lubrication of a steel–steel contact. Friction and wear experiments were performed using a HFRR test machine. Friction coefficient and electrical contact resistance were measured during the tests, and the wear surface was analyzed by confocal microscopy and XPS. The tribological results showed that both ionic liquids used as additive decrease friction and wear but the [BMP][FAP] had a better performance than the [(NEMM)MOE][FAP] due to its higher reactivity with the steel

Prevalence and associated factors with poor sleep quality in non-professional caregivers

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality in non-professional caregivers. With this purpose, cross-sectional data were collected from 201 dependent people’s family caregivers using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and an ad hoc questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic data. A total of 153 family caregivers were categorized as poor sleepers (PSQI > 5), resulting in a prevalence of poor sleep quality of 76.1% (95% CI = 70.5–82.5). Poor sleepers were more likely to care for persons with mental disorders (χ2 = 7.31; p < 0.01) and scored significantly higher on perceived burden (z = −4.44; p < 0.001), psychological distress (z = −6.24; p < 0.001), and in all the PSQI subscales (p < 0.001), compared with good sleepers (PSQI ≤ 5). By contrast, no differences were found between poor and good sleepers in age, gender, years providing care, and daily hours of care. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the factors of caregiver burden (β = 0.15; p < 0.05) and psychological distress (β = 0.53; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with sleep quality in dependent people’s family caregivers. Cognitive-behavioral strategies to improve sleep quality in the primary health care of family caregivers are suggestedSpin-off of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Santiago de Compostela, Spain) “Xuntos. Psychological and Psychiatric Care” (2019-CE081-6)S

PRIMER ACERCAMIENTO A LOS RESTOS ARQUEOLÓGICOS DEL BALNEARIO ROMANO

Se expone el estado de la cuestión en el estudio del termalismo de la Región de Murcia con particular atención a la época romana. Se centra el tema en la investigación del balneario de Fortuna y en las nuevas perspectivas que para el tema ha ofrecido el descubrimiento de una parte interesante del yacimiento romano del lugar cuyas excavaciones se describen: se trata de un edificio de considerable entidad cuya estructura todavía apenas queda especificada, pero que se espera aclarar con el avance de las investigaciones arqueológicas. Se plantean los nuevos horizontes que este descubrimiento crea para la interpretación del conjunto epigráfico de la Cueva Negra, cuyos tituli picti adquieren consistencia y se sitúan en una nueva dimensión intelectual al ponerlos en relación con la vida del balneario

Virulence genes and intimin types of Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from cattle and beef products in Argentina

A total of 153 Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates from feces of cattle and beef products (hamburgers and ground beef) in Argentina were characterized in this study. PCR showed that 22 (14%) isolates carried stx1 genes, 113 (74%) possessed stx2 genes and 18 (12%) both stx1 and stx2. Intimin (eae), enterohemolysin (ehxA), and STEC autoagglutinating adhesin (saa) virulence genes were detected in 36 (24%), 70 (46%) and in 34 (22%) of the isolates, respectively. None of 34 saa-positive isolates carried the gene eae, and 31 were ehxA-positive. Fourteen (7 of serotype O26:H11 and 4 of serotype O5:H-) isolates had intimin β1, 16 isolates possessed intimin γ1 (11 of serotype O145:Hand 5 of serotype O157:H7), 5 isolates had intimin type ε1 (4 of serotypes O103:Hand O103:H2), and one isolate O111:H- showed intimin type θ/γ2. Although the 153 STEC isolates belonged to 63 different seropathotypes, only 12 accounted for 58% of isolates. Seropathotype ONT:H- stx2 (18 isolates) was the most common, followed by O171:H2 stx2 (12 isolates), etc. The majority (84%) of STEC isolates belonged to serotypes previously found in human STEC and 56% to serotypes associated with STEC isolated from patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Thus, this study confirms that cattle are a major reservoir of STEC pathogenic for humans. To our knowledge, this is the first study that described the presence of saa gene in STEC of serotypes O20:H19, O39:H49, O74:H28, O79:H19, O116:H21, O120:H19, O141:H7, O141:H8, O174:H21, and ONT:H21. The serotypes O120:H19 and O185:H7 were not previously reported in bovine STEC. [Int Microbiol 2004; 7(4):269-276