Estudio y análisis del sudario Judío conservado en el Museo Bíblico de León

El denominado “Sudario Judío del siglo I del Museo Bíblico de León” es una pieza textil de notable interés, toda vez que se ha conservado íntegra y prácticamente intacta, a pesar de su antigüedad. Su interés resulta ser mayor dado que el hallazgo de piezas textiles tan antiguas y de tales dimensiones es poco frecuente, y en buen estado de conservación aún menos. Se trata de una pieza de lino tejida a mano, en un telar vertical, donde los hilos también han sido hilados a mano. A pesar de que macroscópicamente aparenta estar en buen estado de conservación, el estudio microscópico pone de manifiesto una contaminación por microorganismos, por lo que se aconseja mejorar las condiciones de conservación, para evitarla progresión de su deterioro con el paso del tiempo. Presenta cierto grado de contaminación inorgánica, debida en su mayoría a partículas formadas por cristales idiomórficos de calcita, derivados de una contaminación inicial con cal que, con el tiempo, termina evolucionando in situ a carbonato de calcio. También encontramos partículas de cuarzo (redondeadas y angulosas), y sal microcristalina. Las conclusiones llevan a establecer que nos hallamos ante una tela antigua y afectada de biodegradación, que ha residido en un espacio subterráneo dentro de un ámbito de clima desértico.The denominated “Jewish Shroud of Century I of the Biblical Museum of Leon” is a textile piece of remarkable interest, since it has been preserved intact, in spite of its antiquity. Its interest turns out to be greater given that the finding of such old textile pieces and of such dimensions is rare, and in good condition even less. It is a piece of linen woven by hand, on a vertical loom, where the threads have also been spun by hand. Although macroscopically it appears to be in a good state of conservation, the microscopic study reveals a contamination by microorganisms, so it is advisable to improve the conditions of conservation, to avoid the progression of its deterioration with the passage of time. It presents a certain degree of inorganic contamination, due mostly to particles formed by calcite idiomorphic crystals, derived from an initial contamination with lime that, over time, ends up evolving in situ to calcium carbonate. We also find quartz particles (round and angular) and microcrystals of salt. The conclusions lead us to establish that we are faced with an ancient and affected fabric of biodegradation, which has resided in an underground space within a desert climate environment

Enhanced molecular spin-photon coupling at superconducting nanoconstrictions

We combine top-down and bottom-up nanolithography to optimize the coupling of small molecular spin ensembles to 1.4 GHz on-chip superconducting resonators. Nanoscopic constrictions, fabricated with a focused ion beam at the central transmission line, locally concentrate the microwave magnetic field. Drops of free-radical molecules have been deposited from solution onto the circuits. For the smallest ones, the molecules were delivered at the relevant circuit areas by means of an atomic force microscope. The number of spins Neff effectively coupled to each device was accurately determined combining Scanning Electron and Atomic Force Microscopies. The collective spin-photon coupling constant has been determined for samples with Neff ranging between 2 × 106 and 1012 spins, and for temperatures down to 44 mK. The results show the well-known collective enhancement of the coupling proportional to the square root of Neff. The average coupling of individual spins is enhanced by more than 4 orders of magnitude (from 4 mHz up to above 180 Hz), when the transmission line width is reduced from 400 μm down to 42 nm, and reaches maximum values near 1 kHz for molecules located on the smallest nanoconstrictions.The authors acknowledge funding from the EU (COST Action 15128 MOLSPIN, QUANTERA SUMO and MICROSENSE projects, FET-OPEN Grant 862893 FATMOLS), the Spanish MICINN (Grants RTI2018-096075-B-C21, PCI2018-093116, MAT2017-89993-R, MAT2017-88358-C3-1-R, EUR2019-103823), the Gobierno de Aragón Ggrants E09-17R Q-MAD, E35-20R, BE and LMP55-18, FANDEPAM) and the BBVA foundation (Leonardo Grants 2018 and 2019).Peer reviewe

Long term variations measurement of electromagnetic field exposures in Alcalá de Henares (Spain)

Electromagnetic radiowave exposure is a major concern in most countries due to possible adverse health effects. Over the last 10 years, many technological changes (digital television, mobile technologies, wireless networks…) have led to variations in the electromagnetic field (EMF) levels. A large number of studies devoted to the analysis of EMF levels with personal dosimeters or computer models of the exposure of mobile stations have been conducted. However, the study of the exposure values, taking into account all the existing sources, and their evolution in a wide area, using measurements, has rarely been performed. In this paper, we provide a comparison of the EMF exposure levels for the city of Alcalá de Henares (Spain) over a ten-year period using a broadband isotropic probe in the range from 100 kHz to 3 GHz. A statistical and spatial analysis of the measurements and their variations are also presented for the study of the global and local variations. The measured values in the period from 2006 to 2015 were ranging from 0.02 to 2.05 V/m. Our global results show a moderate increase from 2006 to 2010 and they are almost invariant from 2010 to 2015. Although the whole dataset does not have relevant statistical difference, we have found marked local differences. In the city areas where the population density has remained unaltered, we have measured lower exposure levels. Conversely, new urban and industrial developments have demanded new resources, which have potentially contributed to the observed increase in the measured electric field levels within these areas

Age validation in Octopus vulgaris beaks across full ontogenetic range. Beaks as recorders of live-events in octopuses

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Optimizing pesticide spray coverage using a novel web and smartphone tool, SnapCard

International audienceThe overuse of pesticides leads to contamination of water and food. Therefore, there is a need for tools and strategies to optimize pesticide application. Here we present SnapCard, a user-friendly and freely available decision support tool for farmers and agricultural consultants, available at snapcard.agric.wa.gov.au. SnapCard allows to predict, measure, and archive pesticide spray coverage quantified from water-sensitive spray cards. Variables include spray settings such as nozzle orifice size, sprayer speed, water carrier rate and adjuvant, and weather variables such as barometric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, and wind speed at ground level. We use separate regression models for four nozzles types. Our results showed that there are strong and positive correlations between water carrier rate and spray coverage for all four nozzle types. Moreover, sprayer speed is highly negatively correlated with obtained spray coverage. In addition, there is no consistent effect of either nozzle type or use of a particular adjuvant, across water carrier intervals. We conclude that varying combinations of spray settings and weather conditions caused marked ranges of spray coverages among the four nozzle types, thus highlighting the importance of selecting the right nozzle orifice size and type. We demonstrate that realistic scenarios of environmental conditions and spray settings can lead to predictions of very low spray coverage with at least one of the four nozzle types. We discuss how the novel and freely available smartphone app, SnapCard, can be used to optimize spray coverage, reduce spray drift, and minimize the risk of resistance development in target pest populations

Índices de calidad ergonómica-psicosociológica en invernaderos de Almería (España)

This study investigates the use of the Labour Economics and Sociology Laboratory of France (LEST) method to analyse work posts among greenhouse workers in the Almería region of South-Eastern Spain. The aim is to improve the health of the labourers. Data were gathered from 110 greenhouses, 73 of the Almería parral plano type and 37 raspa and amagado. Crops studied were 63 greenhouses of tomatoes, 31 of watermelons, and 16 of courgette, examining the physical environment, physical load, psycho-social aspects, and time worked by the labourers. The main conclusion was that this type of crop protective structure, typical in South-Eastern Spain, does not guarantee a comfortable working environment, as defined by the norm UNE-EN 13031-1 reference. The results also associate the different types of greenhouses and their crops with the ergonomic and psycho-sociological conditions of the workers. Improvements are proposed.Este estudio investigó el uso del método de LEST (Labour Economics and Sociology Laboratory of France) para evaluar los puestos de trabajo en invernaderos de la provincia de Almería (España). Todo ello, con el fin de mejorar la salud de los trabajadores. Los datos se han obtenido de 110 invernaderos, 73 del tipo Almería "parral plano" y 37 "raspa y amagado"; según el tipo de cultivo, 63 de tomate, 31 de sandía y 16 de calabacín, afectándose negativamente al entorno físico, carga física, aspectos psicosociales y tiempo de trabajo de los trabajadores. Como conclusión principal, este tipo de estructuras de protección de cultivos típicas del sudeste español no garantizan el trabajo de las personas de forma cómoda en su interior, no estando dentro de la definición de la norma UNE-EN 13031-1 de referencia, además los resultados asocian directamente los diferentes tipos de invernaderos y sus cultivos con las condiciones ergonómico-psicosociales de los trabajadores, proponiéndose mejoras para ellos

Control de la presión de un sistema móvil de pulverización

This paper presents an automatic control system aimed at regulating the output pressure of a spraying system mounted on a mobile platform for fumigation tasks in spite of changes in the vehicle velocity; that is, the pressure set points are calculated based on the actual velocity of the vehicle at each sampling time and are then used in a feedback loop for pressure control purposes. The paper focuses on the dynamic modelling of the spraying system based on the reaction curve method (analysis of the response to open loop steps) and the development and test of several control strategies to achieve the desired pressure profile. One of these approaches, the gain scheduling controller, has demonstrated its ability to cope with the changing dynamics of the system by modifying (adapting) the controller parameters in different operating conditions.Se ha desarrollado un sistema de control automático para regular la presión de salida de un sistema de fumigación instalado sobre una plataforma móvil en función de cambios en la velocidad del vehículo; esto es, las consignas de presión se calculan en función de la velocidad del vehículo en cada instante y se utilizan en un lazo de control por realimentación. El trabajo se centró en el modelado del sistema de fumigación utilizando el método de la curva de reacción (análisis de la respuesta a escalones en bucle abierto) y en el estudio y ensayo de diferentes estrategias de control. Entre éstas destaca la estrategia de control con ajuste por tabla, que permite modificar o adaptar los parámetros del controlador en función de los cambios en la dinámica del proceso que tienen lugar cuando se cambia de punto de operación

Volume application rate adapted to the canopy size in greenhouse tomato crops

The application rate of plant-protection products is indicated as a concentration or amount of product per area. Greenhouse crops grow swiftly, and an application rate based on a fixed amount of product per hectare can result either in large losses and overdoses when the plants are small or to be insufficient when the plants are fully developed. To solve these problems, the application rates of plant-protection products need to be adapted to the plant mass present in the greenhouse when the spray is applied. Two models were developed to estimate the leaf area based on easily measured geometric data of the vegetation in a greenhouse tomato crop. The model based on the PRV (Plant Row Volume) had that best results. The calculation of the volume application rate from the PRV has resulted in a reduction of more than 30 % of the quantity of plant protection product sprayed, without decreasing yield. The PRV of a greenhouse tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is an easily measured parameter that enables the estimation of the leaf area index and the use of application strategies adapted to the changes in the plant canopy, saving major amounts of plant protection product used, compared to the conventional system