El cometa de Halley y la imagen pública de la astronomía en la prensa diaria española de principios del siglo XX

Este texto pretende mostrar algunos aspectos de las representaciones formadas en la opinión pública española acerca de la astronomía y la astrofísica, a partir del análisis de las noticias publicadas en algunas de las cabeceras más destacadas con motivo de la aparición del cometa de Halley en 1910. El interés despertado por la llegada de este cometa estuvo íntimamente ligado a su asociación con diferentes desastres y calamidades, representado en este caso por el equipaje de gases mortíferos que portaba y que desató una inquietud generalizada entre una parte importante de la población. Esta preocupación sirvió para reforzar y legitimar frente a la opinión pública la actividad desarrollada por los científicos, en particular los astrónomos, convertidos en expertos dedicados a tranquilizar a la población mediante datos espectroscópicos, cálculos de mecánica celeste y explicaciones sobre la naturaleza de las masas cometarias, acrecentando el prestigio y estatus social de la astronomía

SIVIM Deciduous Forests - Database of deciduous forests from the Iberian Peninsula

'SIVIM Deciduous Forests' is a thematic database established in 2015, focused on forest vegetation from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. It was registered in the Global Index of Vegetation Databases (GIVD ID: EU-00-023) in January 2016. All types of temperate and submediterranean non-riparian deciduous forests of the phytosociological classes Carpino-Fagetea sylvaticae, Quercetea pubescentis and Quercetea robori-petraeae (formerly combined in the class Querco-Fagetea) are represented in the database. Currently, it contains 6,642 published vegetation plots of beech, birch, ash, lime and other deciduous mixed forests, as well as forests dominated by different species of deciduous and marcescent oaks, 100% of them classified at association level. Data are stored in TURBOVEG format, and are available upon request from the international vegetation-plot databases EVA and sPlot in semi-restricted regime. The relevés have also been included in SIVIM database, and thus they are freely available online. However, in SIVIM Deciduous Forests geolocation accuracy has been improved and the taxonomy and syntaxonomy unified. Plot size is available for 73% of the relevés, of which 82% are between 100 and 400 m2. Plant taxonomy is standardized to Flora iberica. During the last four years, data of SIVIM Deciduous Forests were requested via EVA and sPlot for different projects, and have been used for several studies with various objectives, from floristic, vegetation and habitat-related topics to macroecological studies, and from local to global scales

Procesos de frottage y grattage en la abstracción geométrica

Este trabajo consiste en siete pinturas abstractas de carácter geométrico en las que, entre otras, se han utilizado las técnicas del frottage y del grattage.Castell Carrascosa, JA. (2014). Procesos de frottage y grattage en la abstracción geométrica. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/45961.Archivo delegad

A first analysis of the experience and educational impact of the international cooperation at the Facultat d'Informàtica de Barcelona

In this paper, we present the first analysis of the main international cooperation actions carried out by the Facultat d'Informàtica de Barcelona (FIB), from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), in its almost forty-five years of history. The wide range and diversity of these actions have been consolidated in the operation of the FIB and have improved the academic activity and the educational offer of the school. It is important to highlight that the decentralized organisation of the UPC allows each school to organise and manage its educational offer and its internationalisation policies with a notable degree of independence. In this institutional context, the identification and classification of the FIB's international cooperation activities, and the study of their relationships with the educational activities of the school have allowed us to prepare a micro-level type of study that is rarely present in the literature (Renc-Roe & Roxå, 2014). Based on the analysis of institutional documentation, both from FIB and UPC, and the testimonials of the different people involved in the international cooperation overall experience of the FIB, we first list the internationalisation actions and then we classify and evaluate them in their respective context. The classification is done along three axes: 1) the set of internationalisation descriptors proposed by Guillaume & Vanholsbeeck (2014); 2) the higher education internationalisation cycle proposed by Perez-Encinas (2018) as an extension of Knight's (2004); and 3) the relevant historical periods of the FIB emerging from our study, from 1976 up to 2017. In addition, we also analyse various academic indicators (students enrolled per year, graduates, access grades, etc.) and we relate them to the available international cooperation indicators (number of students in incoming and outgoing mobility, number of agreements, etc.). We have faced in this task some difficulties due to incomplete or inconsistent data, luckily not central to our purpose. As a final result, we have obtained a quantitative and qualitative analytical description of the evolution of the FIB in the studied period. It points out the most innovative and pioneering milestones of its activity from the point of view of international cooperation, which have been influenced by the consecutive FIB management teams leading the school, and the social and institutional context of the analysed period. Our research visualises and highlights for the first time the internationalisation work carried out by the various FIB management teams and the administrative staff involved. It also shows the correlation between internationalisation efforts and the improvement of educational activity, the core mission of a university school like FIB. Significant examples are: the international approach followed in the design, update and accreditation of FIB’s degrees; the increasing offer of FIB education provided in English, from several selected subjects up to some degrees exclusively taught in English; the collaborative design and teaching of international master degree programs. The research procedure followed, the undertaken classifications and the analytical results obtained will help FIB to improve both its future international cooperation strategy and the mechanisms for collecting and analysing the relevant information. Hopefully, the results obtained could also be used as a reference for other university schools.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Seasonal variations of essential oils from five accessions of Mentha longifolia (L.) L. with selected chemical profiles

[EN] Essential oil (EO) yield and composition of five accessions ofMentha longifolia(L.) L. (leaves) were determined throughout their vegetative cycle by GC-MS and GC-FID analysis. These accessions were selected based on TLC profiles of dichloromethane extracts from wild individuals. The profile rich in alpha-terpinyl acetate and 8-acetoxy carvotanacetone has not been previously reported. The maximum value of EO yield was obtained in advanced flowering stage. The major composition changes were noted at the beginning of the vegetative cycle, whereas more stability was found during the flowering stage. Thus, significant changes in the major compounds were found in some accessions: piperitone and piperitenone oxides, alpha-terpineol acetate and 8-acetoxy carvotanacetone, which showed a considerable increase (6.0% to 20.1%) during the vegetative growth, the same way that pulegone and piperitenone oxide in other accessions. As biological activities depend on EO composition, the knowledge of its seasonal changes should be emphasized.Llorens Molina, JA.; Vacas, S.; Castell-Zeising, V.; Verdeguer Sancho, MM. (2020). Seasonal variations of essential oils from five accessions of Mentha longifolia (L.) L. with selected chemical profiles. Journal of Essential Oil Research. 32(5):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10412905.2020.1773328S110325Chapter 1Introduction. (2015). Handbook of Essential Oils, 18-21. doi:10.1201/b19393-5De Sousa Barros, A., de Morais, S. M., Ferreira, P. A. T., Vieira, Í. G. P., Craveiro, A. A., dos Santos Fontenelle, R. O., … de Sousa, H. A. (2015). Chemical composition and functional properties of essential oils from Mentha species. Industrial Crops and Products, 76, 557-564. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.07.004Gupta, A. K., Mishra, R., Singh, A. K., Srivastava, A., & Lal, R. K. (2017). Genetic variability and correlations of essential oil yield with agro-economic traits in Mentha species and identification of promising cultivars. Industrial Crops and Products, 95, 726-732. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.11.041Moshrefi Araghi, A., Nemati, H., Azizi, M., Moshtaghi, N., Shoor, M., & Hadian, J. (2019). Assessment of phytochemical and agro-morphological variability among different wild accessions of Mentha longifolia L. cultivated in field condition. Industrial Crops and Products, 140, 111698. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.111698Mathela, C. S., Padalia, R. C., Chanotiya, C. S., & Tiwari, A. (2005). Carvone richMentha longifolia(Linn.): Chemical Variation and Commercial Potential. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants, 8(2), 130-133. doi:10.1080/0972060x.2005.10643432Schippmann, U., Leaman, D., & Cunningham, A. B. (s. f.). A Comparison of Cultivation and Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Under Sustainability Aspects. Wageningen UR Frontis Series, 75-95. doi:10.1007/1-4020-5449-1_6Németh, E. (2005). CHANGES IN ESSENTIAL OIL QUANTITY AND QUALITY INFLUENCED BY ONTOGENETIC FACTORS. Acta Horticulturae, (675), 159-165. doi:10.17660/actahortic.2005.675.23Pothier, J., Galand, N., El Ouali, M., & Viel, C. (2001). Comparison of planar chromatographic methods (TLC, OPLC, AMD) applied to essential oils of wild thyme and seven chemotypes of thyme. Il Farmaco, 56(5-7), 505-511. doi:10.1016/s0014-827x(01)01085-0Franz, C. M. (2010). Essential oil research: past, present and future. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 25(3), 112-113. doi:10.1002/ffj.1983Oil Composition of Other Mentha Species and Hybrids. (2006). Mint, 341-362. doi:10.1201/9780849307980-15Younis, Y. M. H., & Beshir, S. M. (2004). Carvone-Rich Essential Oils fromMentha longifolia(L.) Huds. ssp.schimperiBriq. andMentha spicataL. Grown in Sudan. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 16(6), 539-541. doi:10.1080/10412905.2004.9698792Koliopoulos, G., Pitarokili, D., Kioulos, E., Michaelakis, A., & Tzakou, O. (2010). Chemical composition and larvicidal evaluation of Mentha, Salvia, and Melissa essential oils against the West Nile virus mosquito Culex pipiens. Parasitology Research, 107(2), 327-335. doi:10.1007/s00436-010-1865-3Nazem, V., Sabzalian, M. R., Saeidi, G., & Rahimmalek, M. (2019). Essential oil yield and composition and secondary metabolites in self- and open-pollinated populations of mint (Mentha spp.). Industrial Crops and Products, 130, 332-340. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.12.018Maffei, M. (1988). A chemotype ofMentha longifolia (L.) hudson particularly rich in piperitenone oxide. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 3(1), 23-26. doi:10.1002/ffj.2730030105Segev, D., Nitzan, N., Chaimovitsh, D., Eshel, A., & Dudai, N. (2012). Chemical and Morphological Diversity in Wild Populations of Mentha longifolia in Israel. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 9(3), 577-588. doi:10.1002/cbdv.201100108Hajlaoui, H., Snoussi, M., Ben Jannet, H., Mighri, Z., & Bakhrouf, A. (2008). Comparison of chemical composition and antimicrobial activities ofMentha longifolia L. ssp.longifolia essential oil from two Tunisian localities (Gabes and Sidi Bouzid). Annals of Microbiology, 58(3), 513-520. doi:10.1007/bf03175551Abdel-Hameed, E.-S. S., Salman, M. S., Fadl, M. A., Elkhateeb, A., & Hassan, M. M. (2018). Chemical Composition and Biological Activity ofMentha longifoliaL. Essential Oil Growing in Taif, KSA Extracted by Hydrodistillation, Solvent Free Microwave and Microwave Hydrodistillation. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants, 21(1), 1-14. doi:10.1080/0972060x.2018.1454343Zouari-Bouassida, K., Trigui, M., Makni, S., Jlaiel, L., & Tounsi, S. (2018). Seasonal Variation in Essential Oils Composition and the Biological and Pharmaceutical Protective Effects of Mentha longifolia Leaves Grown in Tunisia. BioMed Research International, 2018, 1-12. doi:10.1155/2018/7856517Soilhi, Z., Rhimi, A., Heuskin, S., Fauconnier, M. L., & Mekki, M. (2019). Essential oil chemical diversity of Tunisian Mentha spp. collection. Industrial Crops and Products, 131, 330-340. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.01.041Asghari, B., Zengin, G., Bahadori, M. B., Abbas-Mohammadi, M., & Dinparast, L. (2018). Amylase, glucosidase, tyrosinase, and cholinesterases inhibitory, antioxidant effects, and GC-MS analysis of wild mint (Mentha longifolia var. calliantha) essential oil: A natural remedy. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 22, 44-49. doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2018.08.004Ibrahim, S. R. M., Abdallah, H. M., Mohamed, G. A., Farag, M. A., Alshali, K. Z., Alsherif, E. A., & Ross, S. A. (2016). Volatile oil profile of some lamiaceous plants growing in Saudi Arabia and their biological activities. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C, 72(1-2), 35-41. doi:10.1515/znc-2015-0234Hussain, A. I., Anwar, F., Nigam, P. S., Ashraf, M., & Gilani, A. H. (2010). Seasonal variation in content, chemical composition and antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of essential oils from four Mentha species. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 90(11), 1827-1836. doi:10.1002/jsfa.4021Baser, K. H. C., Kürkçüoglu, M., Tarimcilar, G., & Kaynak, G. (1999). Essential Oils ofMenthaSpecies from Northern Turkey. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 11(5), 579-588. doi:10.1080/10412905.1999.9701218Kokkini, S., & Papageorgiou, V. (1988). Constituents of Essential Oils fromMentha longifoliaGrowing Wild in Greece. Planta Medica, 54(01), 59-60. doi:10.1055/s-2006-962338De Frutos, M., Sanz, J., & Martínez-Castro, I. (1988). Simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE) method in the qualitative and quantitative GC analysis of cheese volatile components. Chromatographia, 25(10), 861-864. doi:10.1007/bf02311418Croteau, R. (1991). Metabolism of Monoterpenes in Mint (Mentha) Species. Planta Medica, 57(S 1), S10-S14. doi:10.1055/s-2006-96022

Variability of essential oil composition of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) affected byplant organ

The essential oil composition of leaves and roots of twenty individuals of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) belonging to different chemotypes has been investigated. They were obtained from two accesions coming from Hungarian and Spanish wild populations. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS and GC/FID. Results showed a great individual variability of wormwood accesions. Based on leaves, three chemotypes (sabinene + myrcene, -thujone and new sesquiterpene type accounting up to 80.8% of sesquiterpenic fraction) were found in the Hungarian population and two chemotypes ((Z)--epoxyocimene and (Z)--epoxyocimene + (Z)-chrysanthemyl acetate types) were present in the Spanish one. The composition of EO of the roots from both locations was predominated by monoterpenic esters (14.5-80.2% and 59.9-90.3%, in Hungarian and Spanish samples respectively) but characteristic quantitative and qualitative differences were present. No relationship was found between the composition of EO of roots and leaves of the same plant.Llorens Molina, JA.; Vacas González, S.; Castell Zeising, V.; Németh Zámboriné, É. (2016). Variability of essential oil composition of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) affected byplant organ. Journal of Essential Oil Research. 29(1):11-21. doi:10.1080/10412905.2016.1202152S112129

Accurate estimation of air pollution in outdoor routes for citizens and decision making

There is clear evidence of the effects of air pollution on health. In this paper, we present an innovative application designed to assess Air Quality (AQ) exposure based on the World Health Organization’s AQ Guidelines, analysing pollutants and their concentrations independently. Our aim is to provide this information to citizens based on their health profile (medical history or requirements) before and during outdoor trips of their choice, both walking and cycling, empowering them to proactively make informed personal decisions about their route choices and identifying potentially unhealthy travel environments. For this purpose, we have access to official data from AQ monitoring stations that are updated periodically every 10 min. Then, by using spatial interpolation techniques (with Ordinary Kriging), we estimate each pollutant over a grid superimposed on the city map. Once the pollutants have been mapped on each route, they are analysed in order to consider the different alternatives for deciding and planning changes in speed or trajectory. We evaluated the application in the city of Valencia (Spain) as a use case under different scenarios, and showed the results to assess exposure to pollution on the routes of citizens

Superbeam studies at CERN

A conventional low-energy neutrino beam of great intensity could be produced by the Super Proton Linac at CERN as a first stage of a Neutrino Factory. Water Cherenkov and liquid scintillator detectors are studied as possible candidates for a neutrino oscillation experiment which could improve our current knowledge of the atmospheric parameters Δmatm2, θ23 and measure or severely constrain θ13. It is also shown that a very large water detector could eventually observe leptonic CP violation

Dynamic tuneable G protein-coupled receptor monomer-dimer populations

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest class of membrane receptors, playing a key role in the regulation of processes as varied as neurotransmission and immune response. Evidence for GPCR oligomerisation has been accumulating that challenges the idea that GPCRs function solely as monomeric receptors; however, GPCR oligomerisation remains controversial primarily due to the difficulties in comparing evidence from very different types of structural and dynamic data. Using a combination of single-molecule and ensemble FRET, double electron–electron resonance spectroscopy, and simulations, we show that dimerisation of the GPCR neurotensin receptor 1 is regulated by receptor density and is dynamically tuneable over the physiological range. We propose a “rolling dimer” interface model in which multiple dimer conformations co-exist and interconvert. These findings unite previous seemingly conflicting observations, provide a compelling mechanism for regulating receptor signalling, and act as a guide for future physiological studies

A formação da capacidade de interpretação do processo de hemostasia no curso de Bioanálise Clínica: Sistematização teórica

The complexity of the national and international context and the impetuous advance of science and technology have led to medical universities being called to make transformations in their designs, in order to form a comprehensive professional imbued with ethical values that allow them to provide services. of excellence and contribute to the sustainable development of the country. The article is aimed at systematizing the theoretical results of a research about the process of formation of the ability to interpret the hemostasis process in the Clinical Bioanalysis degree at the University of Medical Sciences of Pinar del Río. The main methods were the dialectical-materialist as a general one that allows the materialization of the unity of theory and practice, based on a systemic and generalizing approach, together with theoretical methods such as historical-logical analysis and its procedures, analysis and synthesis and induction and deduction, to reach conclusions and make generalizations. The results were in the historical and theoretical systematization of the formation of the ability to interpret the hemostasis process in the Clinical Bioanalysis career, in the national and international contexts. As conclusions, the growing need for improvement is reinforced for the training of human resources capable of assimilating the accelerated development experienced by Medical SciencesLa complejidad del contexto nacional e internacional y el impetuoso avance de la ciencia y la tecnología, han propiciado que las universidades Médicas estén llamadas a realizar transformaciones en sus diseños, en pos de formar un profesional integral e imbuido de valores éticos que le permitan brindar servicios de excelencia y contribuir al desarrollo sostenible del país. El artículo está dirigido a sistematizar los resultados teóricos de una investigación acerca del proceso de formación de la habilidad interpretar el proceso de hemostasia en la carrera de Bioanálisis Clínico en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Pinar del Río.  Los principales métodos fueron el dialéctico- materialista como general que permite la materialización de la unidad de la teoría y la práctica, a partir de un enfoque sistémico y generalizador, junto a métodos teóricos como el análisis histórico-lógico y sus procedimientos, el análisis y la síntesis y la inducción y la deducción, para llegar a conclusiones y hacer generalizaciones. Los resultados estuvieron en la sistematización histórico y teórico de la formación de la habilidad interpretar el proceso de hemostasia en la carrera de Bioanálisis Clínico, en los contextos nacional e internacional. Como conclusiones se refuerza la necesidad creciente del perfeccionamiento para la formación de recursos humanos capaces de asimilar el desarrollo acelerado que experimentan las Ciencias MédicasA complexidade do contexto nacional e internacional e o avanço impetuoso da ciência e da tecnologia têm feito com que as universidades médicas sejam chamadas a realizar transformações em seus desenhos, a fim de formar um profissional integral e imbuído de valores éticos que lhes permitam prestar serviços. de excelência e contribuir para o desenvolvimento sustentável do país. O artigo tem como objetivo sistematizar os resultados teóricos de uma pesquisa sobre o processo de formação da capacidade de interpretação do processo de hemostasia no curso de Bioanálise Clínica da Universidade de Ciências Médicas de Pinar del Río. Os principais métodos foram o dialético-materialista como um geral que permite a materialização da unidade entre teoria e prática, a partir de uma abordagem sistêmica e generalizante, juntamente com métodos teóricos como a análise histórico-lógica e seus procedimentos, análise e síntese e indução e dedução, para chegar a conclusões e fazer generalizações. Os resultados estiveram na sistematização histórica e teórica da formação da capacidade de interpretação do processo de hemostasia na carreira de Bioanálise Clínica, nos contextos nacional e internacional. Como conclusões, reforça-se a crescente necessidade de melhoria na formação de recursos humanos capazes de assimilar o desenvolvimento acelerado vivido pelas Ciências Médica