Comportamiento productivo y valor nutricional del pasto Pennisetum purpureum cv Cuba CT-115, a diferente edad de rebrote

Grass species forage yield and nutritional value directly affect livestock production performance. They also vary in response to regional climate and soil conditions. Forage yield and nutritional value in Pennisetum purpureum cv. Cuba CT-115 were evaluated at five regrowth ages (30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 d) in three seasons (dry, rainy and northwinds). A completely randomized block design with repeated measures was used, with four replicates per treatment. In all three seasons, maximum height was reached at 75 d: 127.1 cm in the dry season, 151.6 cm in the rainy season and 137.0 cm the northwind season. Forage yield was highest (27.0 t DM ha-1) at 90 d in the rainy season, with a growth rate of 300.2 kg DM ha-1 d-1, 7.3% crude protein and 37.0% in situ digestibility of dry matter. The leaf:stem ratio was highest at 30 d in all seasons, with a 1.65 average value. Crude protein content was highest in the northwind season at 30 and 45 d, with a 15.6 % average value. In all three seasons, digestibility was highest at 30 (mean= 49.3 %), 45 (51.8 %) and 60 d (48.2 %). Based on forage yield, use of P. purpureum cv. Cuba CT-115 grass for open grazing is recommended for cutting at 90 days’ regrowth and based on its nutritional quality is recommended for grazing at 60 days’ regrowth, both during the rainy season.Se evaluó el rendimiento de forraje y valor nutritivo del pasto Pennisetum purpureum cv Cuba CT-115, en cinco edades de rebrote: 30, 45, 60, 75 y 90 días, en tres épocas del año: seca, lluvias y nortes. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completos al azar con medidas repetidas, con cuatro repeticiones por tratamiento. La mayor altura se registró a partir de los 75 días, en todas las épocas, con valores de 127.1, 151.6 y 137.0 cm, en seca, lluvias y nortes, respectivamente. El rendimiento más alto de forraje (27.0 t MS ha-1) se obtuvo a los 90 días en la época de lluvias, con una tasa de crecimiento (TC) de 300.2 kg MS ha-1 día-1, 7.3 % de proteína cruda (PC) y 37.0 % de degradación in situ de la materia seca (DIMS). La relación hoja:tallo fue mayor a los 30 días de rebrote, con un valor promedio de 1.65. El contenido de PC fue mayor en la época de nortes a 30 y 45 días, con un valor promedio de 15.6 %. La DIMS fue más alta a 30, 45 y 60 días, con valores promedio de 49.3, 51.8 y 48.2 %, respectivamente. Con base al rendimiento de forraje, se recomienda el uso del pasto Cuba CT-115 para corte a 90 días de rebrote durante la época de lluvias, mientras que, por su calidad nutricional, se recomienda su uso para pastoreo a 60 días de crecimiento después del corte

Aplicación de la prueba de CMT y somatic cell counter® para evaluar calidad de leche de vaca en tanque

Objective: Evaluate whether CMT values for bulk milk depend on its somatic cell content. Evaluate if the composition of the milk changes as a function of the number of somatic cells.Design/methodology/approach: 48 samples of bulk milk from different dairy farms and cheese factories in Tabasco, Mexico were taken randomly. Measured parameters were: California Mastitis Test (CMT), the somatic cell count (CCS), fat, protein, non-fat solids, lactose. The values of CCS were grouped in 3 intervals: (<500,000), (>500,000-1,000,000), (> 1,000,000) to be compared with qualitative data of CMT (0, 1, 2) in a two-way contingency table. Milk samples were also grouped in 4 categories according to their number of somatic cells A (0-250,000), B (>251,000-500,000), C (>500,000-750,000) y D (> 750,000) to compare fat, protein, non-fat solids, lactose by one-way ANOVA and Tukey test at a 5% confidence level.Results: The CMT values were dependent on its somatic cells content intervals; (x2 = 88.1, p < 0.05). A lower amount of non-fat solids, lactose and protein was observed in the group D, with highest category of somatic cells (p ?0.05). Limitations on study/implications: The CMT test depend on the somatic cell content in cow´s bulk milk. Milk with high somatic cell content had less non-fat solids, and less lactose. Findings/conclusions: The CMT have been traditionally used to assess the udder´s health of individual cows; in this research, we validate to use CMT to assess bulk milk samples. Samples with high somatic cell content had less non-fat solids, less lactose and less protein. That is important knowledge for cheese producers because high somatic cell content is linked to less cheese yield.  Objetivo: Evaluar si los valores de CMT para la leche de tanque dependen de su conteo de células somáticas. Evaluar si la composición de la leche cambia en función del número de células somáticas. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: Se tomaron al azar 48 muestras de leche de tanque de diferentes granjas lecheras y fábricas de queso en Tabasco, México. Los parámetros medidos fueron: Prueba de mastitis de California (CMT), conteo de células somáticas (CCS), grasas, proteínas, sólidos no grasos, lactosa. Los valores de CCS se agruparon en 3 intervalos: (<500,000), (>500,000-1,000,000), (> 1,000,000) para compararlos con los datos cualitativos de CMT (0, 1,2) en una tabla de contingencia de dos vías. Los valores de las muestras de leche también se agruparon en 4 categorías según su número de células somáticas A (0-250,000), B (>251,000-500,000), C (>500,000-750,000) y D (> 750,000) para la comparación de contenido solidos no grasos, lactosa, y proteína para ser analizados usando ANOVA con un factor; y la prueba de Tukey con un nivel de confianza del 5%. Resultados: Los valores de CMT dependen del contenido de células somáticas; (x2 = 88.1, p <0.01). Se observó una menor cantidad de sólidos no grasos, lactosa y proteínas en el grupo de muestras de leche D, con mayor contenido de células somáticas (p ? 0.05). Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: La prueba de CMT depende del contenido de células somáticas en la leche de tanque. Las muestras con mayor numero de células somáticas en la leche presentaron menor proporción de sólidos no-grasos, menor lactosa y menor proteína. Hallazgos / conclusiones: La CMT se ha utilizado tradicionalmente para evaluar la leche de la ubre de las vacas individuales; en esta investigación, validamos el uso de CMT para evaluar muestras de leche de tanque. Eso es importante para los productores de queso porque el alto contenido de células somáticas está relacionado con menor contenido de sólidos no grasos y un menor rendimiento para queso

Uso de la centrifuga de flujo continuo para clarificar vinos y cervezas artesanales

Objective: To develop a process of clarification of wines and beers by continuous flow centrifugation on a small scale and develop a method of evaluation of clarification by spectrophotometry. Design/methodology/approach: A method was developed to clarify a fermented Jamaican / beer beverage in a continuous flow centrifuge until reducing turbidity to a value close to zero. Fifteen spin cycles were necessary for the visible reduction of turbidity. Turbidity was determined by measuring the absorbance at 600 nm of aliquots of the liquid resulting from the centrifugation of each cycle. From the readings made, a turbidity reduction curve and a turbidity reduction prediction model and an efficiency calculation were made. Results: A centrifugation was not enough, since the turbidity was approx. 0.9. Approximately 15 liters of fermented beverage were clarified per hour, for which it was necessary to apply 15 spin cycles. The turbidity removal efficiency at the end of the 15 cycles was 99.6%. Turbidity readings were taken from each spin cycle. With the readings made to the samples after each centrifugation, a model, negative exponential curve, was generated, which were subsequently transformed to finally obtain a simple linear extinction model that shows how turbidity disappears after 18 cycles of centrifugation. Limitations on study/implications: Clarification using a continuous flow centrifuge could be optimized by increasing the rotor speed and / or reducing the output flow of the clarified liquid. Findings/conclusions: The continuous flow centrifugation process of fermented musts allows the clarification of wines and beers in several cycles and represents a viable alternative to small scale production.Objetivo: Desarrollar un proceso de clarificación de vinos y cervezas por centrifugación de flujo continuo a pequeña escala y desarrollar un método de evaluación de la clarificación por espectrofotometría. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: Se desarrolló un método para clarificar una bebida fermentada / cerveza en una centrífuga de flujo continuo hasta reducir la turbidez a un valor cercano a 0. Se llevaron a cabo 15 ciclos de centrifugado para la reducción visible de la turbidez.  La turbidez se determinó midiendo la absorbancia a 600 nm de alícuotas del líquido resultante de la centrifugación de cada ciclo.  A partir de lecturas realizadas, se hizo una curva de reducción de la turbidez y un modelo de predicción de la reducción de la turbidez y un cálculo de la eficiencia. Resultados: Una centrifugación no fue suficiente, pues la turbidez fue de aprox. 0.9. Se clarificaron aproximadamente 15 litros de bebida fermentada por hora, para lo cual fueron necesarios aplicar 15 ciclos de centrifugado. La eficiencia de remoción de la turbidez al final de los 15 ciclos fue de 99.6 %. Se tomaron lecturas de turbidez de cada ciclo de centrifugado. Con las lecturas realizadas a las muestras después de cada centrifugación, se generó un modelo, curva exponencial negativa, que fueron posteriormente transformados para finalmente obtener un modelo de extinción lineal simple que muestra como la turbidez desaparece después de 18 ciclos de centrifugado. Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: La clarificación con uso de centrífuga de flujo continuo podría optimizarse aumentando la velocidad del rotor y/o  reduciendo el flujo de salida del líquido clarificado. Hallazgos/conclusiones: El proceso de centrifugación de flujo continuo de mostos fermentados permite la clarificación de vinos y cervezas en varios ciclos y representa una alternativa viable a pequeña escala de producción

Optical properties from extinction cross-section of single pollen particles under laboratory-controlled relative humidity

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through projects ELPIS (PID2020-12001-5RB-I00), by the Junta de Andalucía Excellence project ADAPNE (P20-00136), AEROPRE (P-18-RT-3820), FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa, EQC2019-006423-P, INTEGRATYON (PID2020-117825 GB-C21 and PID2020-117825 GB-C22), the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program through project ACTRIS. IMP (grant agreement No 871115), and ATMO-ACCESS (grant agreement No 101008004), and ACTRIS-España (RED2022-134824-E), FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades project DEM3TRIOS (A-RNM-430-UGR20) and by University of Granada Plan Propio through Excellence Research Unit Earth Science and Singular Laboratory AGORA (LS2022-1) programs and project Pre-GREENMITIGATION (PP2022.PP.34).A growing body of research suggests that pollen suspended in the atmosphere have a major environmental and climatic impact. However, our current knowledge of pollen is rather limited with respect to its extinction capacity, its optical properties and how these vary with atmospheric water content. Understanding their water absorption capacity can improve our understanding of their radiative effects and, thus, improve climate models. In this work, an electrodynamic Paul trap was coupled to a cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) to directly measure the ring down time () of four individual types of pollen particles: Olea, Fraxinus, Populus and Salix exposed to changing relative humidity (RH). Resonant structures in values between ∼90 and 45 % RH indicated that pollen was wettable at high RHs. was used to calculate light extinction cross-section at 532 nm as a function of RH. Optical growth factor () was evaluated as the ratio between and From , the semi-empirical single hygroscopicity parameter () was found to be 0.038–0.058 for the four pollen types. Under controllable treatment of the water content and an adequate selection of complex refractive index , CRDS- data was fitted to theoretical from Mie theory. The reasonable agreement achieved allowed for gaining knowledge about the and how particle size shrugged during dehydration. As a result, a climate-lowering effect of Olea pollen particles, which contain a fraction of scattered aerosol, should be considered in the models.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020-12001-5RB-I00)Junta de Andalucía Excellence: ADAPNE (P20-00136), AEROPRE (P-18-RT-3820), FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa, EQC2019-006423-P, INTEGRATYON (PID2020-117825GB-C21, PID2020-117825GB-C22)European Union's Horizon 2020 CTRIS.IMP 871115ATMO-ACCESS 101008004ACTRIS-España (RED2022-134824-E)FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades DEM3TRIOS (A-NM-430-UGR20)University of Granada LS2022-1, PP2022.PP.3

Prevention of road crashes in older adults: perspectives on facilitators, barriers and the role of the family doctor

This work was supported by the SEMERGEN-UGR Chair of Teaching and Research in Family Medicine (Catedra de Docencia e Investigacion en Medicina de Familia SEMERGEN-UGR), University of Granada, Spain.Background: People over 64 years have a high fatality rate when they are involved in traffic accidents. Besides, older victims of road crashes are expected to rise in the future due to population aging. The purpose of the study was to document their perception on the role of the family doctor, the main facilitating factors, and the perceived barriers to the temporary or permanent restriction of their driving. Methods: This qualitative study used focus group methodology. A sample of 16 people over 65 years old was obtained through a series of segmentation criteria at an active participation centre for older adults in a small town in Jaén province (Spain). All were invited to participate in a discussion during which they were asked to express their opinions and subjective experiences concerning the role of their family doctor. The group conversation was taped, fully transcribed and analysed, and codes were generated with both deductive and inductive methods. Results: After merging the codes to generate themes, we identified 9 relevant categories: perception of age-related risk, road safety, role of public authorities, driver assessment centre, role of the family doctor, role of the family, proposals for addressing traffic accidents in older adults, consequences of the driving prohibition, and public transport. All categories help to explain the subjective driving and traffic safety experiences of older road users. Conclusions: Although family doctors do not usually ask their older patients about road driving, they are highly valued by these patients. Thus, family doctors have a great potential to act, along with the family members, for the benefit of older patients’ traffic safety, in ways that can prevent their involvement in road crashes and reduce the negative consequences of having to stop driving if necessary.SEMERGEN-UGR Chair of Teaching and Research in Family Medicine (Catedra de Docencia e Investigacion en Medicina de Familia SEMERGEN-UGR), University of Granada, Spai

A comparison of feature extractors for panorama stitching in an autonomous car architecture.

Panorama stitching consists on frames being put together to create a 360o view. This technique is proposed for its implementation in autonomous vehicles instead of the use of an external 360o camera, mostly due to its reduced cost and improved aerodynamics. This strategy requires a fast and robust set of features to be extracted from the images obtained by the cameras located around the inside of the car, in order to effectively compute the panoramic view in real time and avoid hazards on the road. In this paper, we compare and discuss three feature extraction methods (i.e. SIFT, BRISK and SURF) for image feature extraction, in order to decide which one is more suitable for a panorama stitching application in an autonomous car architecture. Experimental validation shows that SURF exhibits an improved performance under a variety of image transformations, and thus appears to be the most suitable of these three methods, given its accuracy when comparing features between both images, while maintaining a low time consumption. Furthermore, a comparison of the results obtained with respect to similar work allows to increase the reliability of our methodology and the reach of our conclusions

Clinical Factors, Preventive Behaviours and Temporal Outcomes Associated with COVID-19 Infection in Health Professionals at a Spanish Hospital

The authors thank K. Shashok for improving the use of English in the manuscript.The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has quickly spread around the world, with Spain being one of the most severely affected countries. Healthcare professionals are an important risk group given their exposure. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of symptoms, main concerns as patients, preventive behaviours of healthcare professionals, and the different temporal outcomes associated with the negativization of PCR results. A total of 238 professionals were analysed and follow-up was conducted from 11 March to 21 April 2020 through clinical records, in-depth surveys, and telephone interviews. Symptoms, concerns, and preventive measures were documented, and temporal outcomes (start and end of symptoms, first positive PCR, and negativization of PCR) were analysed through survival analyses. A high prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms (especially in women and older professionals), fever, cough, and fatigue were reported. The main concern was contagion in the work and home environment. Professionals (especially men) reported low use of face masks before the pandemic. Our analysis indicates that the median times for the negativization of PCR testing to confirm the resolution of infection is 15 days after the end of symptoms, or 25 days after the first positive PCR test. Our results suggest that these times are longer for women and for professionals aged ≥55 years, therefore follow-up strategies should be optimized in light of both variables. This is the first study we are aware of to report factors associated with the time to negativization of PCR results. We present the first rigorous estimates of time outcomes and hope that these data can be valuable to continue feeding the prediction models that are currently being developed. Similar studies are required to corroborate our results.Chair of Teaching and Research in Family Medicine SEMERGEN-UGR. University of Granad

Population fluctuation of the pineapple mealybug in two pineapple (Ananas comosus [L.] Merr.) varieties in Huimanguillo Tabasco, Mexico

ABSTRACT Objective: to determine the specie, the prevalence and seasonal distribution of Dysmicoccus spp. Design/Methodology/Approach: The present study was carried out in two pineapples producing localities MD2 and cabezona varieties in the municipality of Huimanguillo, Tabasco The seasonal distribution and percentage of infestation were determined in both localities/varieties from January to June 2021. Monthly, 40 plants were sampled at random, in an area of 4 ha per locality. At the plant level, roots, stems, and leaves of the base of the plant and fruits were checked for the presence of this mealybug. Results: The species present were D. brevipes. The greatest abundance of mealybug was found in the bighead variety. D. brevipes are mostly located at the base of the stem and old basal leaves, both in the var. bighead as in MD2, by 85.46 and 61.75%, respectively. From January to April, the populations of D. brevipes were moderate, a period with the highest temperature; while the highest populations were recorded towards mid-June when the rains begin. Study limitations/implications: Climatic variable and immature stages of D. brevipes may affect the observations of population dynamics. Findings/Conclusions: D. brevipes was found to feed more on basal leaves and stems. To obtain population dynamics and predict the total number of insects per plant and their temporal and spatial distribution, the entire production cycle must be considered together with the climatic parameters, to create a control strategy directed at the dates of moderate abundance. Key words: Pineapple mealybugs, seasonal distribution, Huimanguillo.    Objective: To identify the pineapple mealybug Dysmicoccus spp. and determine its prevalence and seasonal distribution in Huimanguillo Tabasco, Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study was carried out in two pineapple producing localities in the municipality of Huimanguillo, Tabasco. The varieties studied were MD2 and Cabezona. The seasonal distribution and infestation percentage was determined in both localities and for both varieties from January to June 2021. Forty plants were randomly sampled per month in a 4-ha area per locality. Roots, stems, basal leaves, and fruits were examined at the plant level. Results: The highest abundance of pineapple mealybugs (D. brevipes sp.) was found in the Cabezona variety. D. brevipes is mainly located in 85.46 and 61.76% of the old leaves of the stem, in the Cabezona and MD2 varieties, respectively. From January to April —when the highest temperatures were recorded—, the population of D. brevipes was moderate, while the highest populations were recorded towards mid-June, when the rains began. Study Limitations/Implications: Climatic variables can affect the evaluation parameters. The immature stages dynamics can limit the interpretation of results. Conclusions: D. brevipes is mostly distributed in the lower parts of the plant. To determine the population fluctuation, predict the total number of insects per plant, and establish their temporal and spatial distribution, the entire production cycle must be considered, as well as the climatic parameters, in order to develop a targeted control strategy on dates of moderate abundance