Food Drying by Solar Energy

[EN] Food drying it is a technical used to preserved food. The purpose of this practice, which has been used since ancient times, it is to extract the water inside the food, avoiding bacteria growth and their proliferation. Food dehydration can be realized using solar energy. These ideas provide a basis for the project about the food drier done by Grupo Solar of Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.[ES] El secado de alimentos es una práctica que viene utilizándose desde la antigüedad y tiene como fin la deshidratación del alimento para conservarlo. La deshidratación de alimentos se puede realizar mediante el uso de la energía solar. En base a esta idea surge el proyecto del deshidratador de alimentos realizado por el Grupo Solar de la Universitat Politècnica de València, dentro de un proyecto de cooperación que se está aplicando en Burkina, en lugares en los que no llega el suministro eléctrico.Saiz Jimenez, JÁ.; Cornejo Royo, L. (2015). Secado de alimentos mediante energía solar. 3C Tecnología. 3(4):234-244. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/77687S2342443

Reconstructing forest history from archaeological data: A case study in the Duero basin assessing the origin of controversial forests and the loss of tree populationsof great biogeographical interest

The study of more than 700 charcoals from the Vaccaean settlement of Pintia (Padilla del Duero, Valladolid) provides new local and detailed data about the Iron Age II forest composition in Continental–Mediterranean inland Spain. Pinus gr. sylvestris/nigra (from which an unexpectedly high number of charcoals were identified), together with Mediterranean pines (also highly represented), Juniperus L. and evergreen and deciduous Quercus, were the main taxa living in the area, revealing two different marked biogeographical elements in the late-Holocene landscapes of the Duero basin: Mediterranean and Eurosiberian. On one hand, the results shed new light on the assessment of the origin of Mediterranean pinewoods in the area. On the other hand, the charcoal assemblage of Pintia reveals a more important presence of the current Mediterranean highland pines in the lowlands of the Central Iberian Peninsula in the late-Holocene suggesting the existence of interglacial refugia. Finally, this work highlights palaeoecological studies as valuable tools to support decisions on forest management related to conservation and restoration of our natural heritage

Using Bayesian optimization and wavelet decomposition in GPU for arterial blood pressure estimation

Continuous monitoring of arterial blood pressure (ABP) of patients in hospital is currently carried out in an invasive way, which could represent a risk for them. In this paper, a noninvasive methodology to optimize ABP estimators using electrocardiogram and photoplethysmography signals is proposed. For this, the XGBoost machine learning model, optimized with Bayesian techniques, is executed in a Graphics Processing Unit, which drastically reduces execution time. The methodology is evaluated using the MIMIC-III Waveform Database. Systolic and diastolic pressures are estimated with mean absolute error values of 15.85 and 11.59 mmHg, respectively, similar to those of the state of the art. The main advantage of the proposed methodology with respect to others of the current state of the art is that it allows the optimization of the estimator model to be performed automatically and more efficiently at the computational level for the data available. Clinical Relevance— This approach has the advantage of using noninvasive methods to continuously monitor patient's arterial blood pressure, reducing the risk for patientsAgencia Gallega de Innovación | Ref. IN845D-2020/29Agencia Gallega de Innovación | Ref. IN607B-2021/1

Spontaneous regression of malignant pleural mesothelioma: A case report

AbstractMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare pleural disease with a poor prognosis. Currently treatment options are limited and the outcome is generally quite poor.We report the case of a 76-year-old man diagnosed with locally advanced MPM who had partial spontaneous response for 2 years and remained asymptomatic for more than 3 years. The patient was taking specific herbal and vegetable diet during the course of response.In our review of literature, a number of prognostic factors predict for better survival and response. However our patients did not have any of these factors. There have been reports of immune-induced responses in the literature. Our patient did indeed use some herbal products that might interfere with the immune system and explain his tumour regression and long period of disease stability. Further analyses and studies are needed in this setting to explore and identify specific immune pathways and targets to develop more effective treatment for MPM

Optimización del uso del suelo mediante geoprocesamiento: propuesta de sustentabilidad ambiental para Puente Aranda, Bogotá

En el presente trabajo se abordaron diversospuntos de inflexión de usos de suelosutilizando el geoprocesamiento y los sistemasde información geográficos, que nos ayudarána reconocer de forma espacial el área deestudio el cual va ser la localidad de PuenteAranda la No 16 de la ciudad de Bogotá,Colombia. La principal actividad económica de lalocalidad o la más pertinente a desarrollardebido a los diferentes aspectos del sector es la industrial, este sector es fuente importante decontaminación y genera diversas fuentes decontaminantes ambientales, por esto esimportante enfocar el desarrollo de laactividad y la aplicabilidad ambiental en lalocalidad. Las diferentes actividades industriales que semanejan en el sector pueden llevar a generarunos niveles de contaminación considerablespor la concentración de las actividades en unsolo espacio o territorio, pero lo másimportante es poder optimizar las actividadessin afectar la economía de la localidad..In this work, various inflection points of land use were addressed using geoprocessing and geographic information systems, which will help us spatially recognize the study area, which will be the town of Puente Aranda No. 16 in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. The main economic activity of the locality or the most pertinent to develop due to the different aspects of the sector is industrial, this sector is an important source of pollution and generates various sources of environmental pollutants, which is why it is important to focus on the development of the activity and the environmental applicability in the locality. The different industrial activities carried out in the sector can lead to generating considerable levels of pollution due to the concentration of activities in a single space or territory, but the most important thing is to be able to optimize activities without affecting the local economy

Bacteriological and Immunological Profiling of Meconium and Fecal Samples from Preterm Infants : A Two-Year Follow-Up Study

An abnormal colonization pattern of the preterm gut may affect immune maturation and exert a long-term influence on the intestinal bacterial composition and host health. However, follow-up studies assessing the evolution of the fecal microbiota of infants that were born preterm are very scarce. In this work, the bacterial compositions of fecal samples, obtained from sixteen 2-year-old infants were evaluated using a phylogenetic microarray; subsequently, the results were compared with those obtained in a previous study from samples of meconium and feces collected from the same infants while they stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In parallel, the concentration of a wide range of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and immunoglobulins were determined in meconium and fecal samples. Globally, a higher bacterial diversity and a lower interindividual variability were observed in 2-year-olds' feces, when compared to the samples obtained during their first days of life. Hospital-associated fecal bacteria, that were dominant during the NICU stay, seemed to be replaced, two years later, by genera, which are usually predominant in the healthy adult microbiome. The immune profile of the meconium and fecal samples differed, depending on the sampling time, showing different immune maturation statuses of the gut.Peer reviewe

Potential ecological and socio-economic effects of a novel megaherbivore introduction: the hippopotamus in Colombia

Introduced species can have strong ecological, social and economic effects on their non-native environment. Introductions of megafaunal species are rare and may contribute to rewilding efforts, but they may also have pronounced socio-ecological effects because of their scale of influence. A recent introduction of the hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius into Colombia is a novel introduction of a megaherbivore onto a new continent, and raises questions about the future dynamics of the socio-ecological system into which it has been introduced. Here we synthesize current knowledge about the Colombian hippopotamus population, review the literature on the species to predict potential ecological and socio-economic effects of this introduction, and make recommendations for future study. Hippopotamuses can have high population growth rates (7–11%) and, on the current trajectory, we predict there could be 400–800 individuals in Colombia by 2050. The hippopotamus is an ecosystem engineer that can have profound effects on terrestrial and aquatic environments and could therefore affect the native biodiversity of the Magdalena River basin. Hippopotamuses are also aggressive and may pose a threat to the many inhabitants of the region who rely upon the Magdalena River for their livelihoods, although the species could provide economic benefits through tourism. Further research is needed to quantify the current and future size and distribution of this hippopotamus population and to predict the likely ecological, social and economic effects. This knowledge must be balanced with consideration of social and cultural concerns to develop appropriate management strategies for this novel introduction

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging characteristics and pregnancy outcomes in women with Mustard palliation for complete transposition of the great arteries

AbstractBackgroundWomen with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) following atrial redirection surgery are at risk of pregnancy-associated arrhythmia and heart failure. The cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) characteristics of these women and the relationship of CMR findings to pregnancy outcomes have not been described.MethodsWe included 17 women with atrial redirection surgery and CMR within 2years of delivery.ResultsAll women were asymptomatic at baseline (New York Heart Association Class 1). CMR studies were completed pre-pregnancy in 3, antepartum/peripartum in 2, and postpartum in 12 women. Three women (3/17, 18%) experienced major cardiovascular events related to pregnancy: cardiac arrest (n=1) and symptomatic atrial arrhythmia (n=2). Median gestational age at delivery was 38weeks (24–39weeks) and birth weight was 2770g (2195–3720g). Complications were seen in 3 offspring (3/17, 18%): death (n=1) and prematurity (n=2). CMR characteristics included median right ventricular end diastolic volume 119mL/m2 (range 85–214mL/m2) and median right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) 37% (range 30–51%). All women with cardiovascular complications had an RVEF <35% (range 32–34%). The association between RVEF <35% and cardiovascular complications trended towards statistical significance (p=0.05). No statistically significant differences in CMR measurements were found between those with and without neonatal complications.ConclusionsWhile the majority of women in this cohort had successful outcomes following pregnancy, important cardiovascular complications were seen in a significant minority, all of whom had an RVEF <35%. The preliminary findings of our study provide impetus for a larger prospective study to evaluate the prognostic role of CMR in pregnant women with atrial redirection surgery

Evaluation of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus by the Indirect Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay EIA-LAB as Screening Tools in Mexico

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo la evaluación del desempeño del kit ELISA AIE-LAB, para el diagnóstico de la Anemia infecciosa equina, en el contexto mexicano, comparado con la prueba estándar de oro de inmunodifusión en gel de agar, AGID AIE-LABIOFAM.La anemia infecciosa equina es una enfermedad de distribución mundial que afecta a la familia Equide. Actualmente no se dispone de una vacuna eficaz, por lo que el control de la enfermedad depende de las herramientas de diagnóstico. Para mejorar la eficiencia del programa de diagnóstico en Cuba, el Grupo Empresarial LABIOFAM, desarrolló un ensayo inmuno-enzimático, kit ELISA, para complementar el sistema de diagnóstico que actualmente utiliza el kit de inmunodifusión en gel de agar (AGID). El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo la evaluación del desempeño del kit ELISA AIE-LAB, en el contexto mexicano, comparado con la prueba estándar de oro de inmunodifusión en gel de agar, AGID AIE-LABIOFAM, y kit comercial AGID. La sensibilidad analítica se determinó utilizando diluciones dobles seriadas del suero de control positivo para establecer el rango de anticuerpos detectados en relación con el valor de corte de la placa (OD 0,300). Se realizó un estudio de precisión para evaluar repetibilidad, precisión intermedia y reproducibilidad, estimando la desviación estándar y el coeficiente de variación. Los resultados de precisión fueron satisfactorios y los valores del coeficiente de variación se consideraron adecuados para garantizar una excelente consistencia del ELISA AIE-LAB. El rendimiento diagnóstico del ELISA AIE-LAB se evaluó en relación a la especificidad, sensibilidad y concordancia en comparación con ambas pruebas AGID. La sensibilidad diagnóstica fue del 100% y la especificidad del 97,6%, con muy buen grado de concordancia (Kappa = 0,9). Los resultados sugieren que la prueba ELISA AIE-LAB podría utilizarse en México como sistema de diagnóstico para la detección de anticuerpos específicos contra el virus de la anemia infecciosa equina.Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia. Financiamiento propio del grupo de investigadores

Huellas de la presencia pasada de pinares montanos en la submeseta norte de la Península Ibérica: Tubilla del Lago y Tubilla del Agua

Se presentan los resultados de los estudios de macrorrestos e impresiones vegetales hallados en dos localidades de la submeseta norte de la Península Ibérica. Los troncos y piñas subfósiles extraídos en las obras de la turbera de Tubilla del Lago (Burgos), así como el molde de piña encontrado en los travertinos de Tubilla del Agua (Burgos), han sido identificados mediante morfología comparada con apoyo de la microtomía en el caso de las maderas. Los restos subfósiles han sido datados mediante 14 C mientras que la antigüedad del molde ha sido deducida por su posición en el edificio travertínico y la edad del mismo, en base al conocimiento de la cronología de la génesis de este tipo de estructuras. Los resultados indican la presencia holocena de Pinus nigra Arnold en ambas localidades. Estas evidencias se suman a otras paleobotánicas, históricas y toponímicas ya existentes, que reflejan una mayor extensión de esta especie en la submeseta norte anterior a la generalización de la alteración antrópica del paisaj