Nueva necrópolis romana de incineración en Almedinilla y redescubrimiento de una tumba hipogeo en la conocida necrópolis romana de “El Ruedo”

Presentamos los resultados de la intervención arqueológica (y estudio antropológico) que permitió documentar una modesta necrópolis romana de incineración en el diseminado de Las Esperillas (Almedinilla) asociada a una pequeña villa adscrita a los primeros momentos de la consolidación de la presencia romana en el valle alto del río Caicena en relación a su explotación agropecuaria. Se presenta también una tumba-hipogeo en la conocida necrópolis vinculada a la villa romana de El Ruedo.The latest results of the intervention (and the anthropological study), in the village of Almedinilla, have documented a modest incineration necropolis associated with a small villa attached to the first moments of the consolidation of the Roman presence in the Caicena river valley related to agricultural explotations. A hypogeum tomb from the known cemetery linked to the Roman Villa of El Ruedo is also presente

Laser-based surface multistructuring using optical elements and the Talbot effect

We present a laser based technique combined with the Talbot effect for microstructuring surfaces. The use of the Talbot effect is introduced as a solution to avoid damage of the periodic object used for micropattering different surfaces during the ablation process. The fabrication of two periodic objects (a mask and a microlens array) for micropattering surfaces and the identification of their Talbot planes is presented. A metal foil is ablated at distances corresponding to selected Talbot planes of the periodic objects. The setup allows us to design the desired pattern and the result is a multistructured surface with a high number of identical microholes, achieving a minimum diameter around 4μm. The different aspect of the periodic object working in direct contact and working at these Talbot distances is shown. These pictures reveal the advantages of working of using Talbot effect for a rapid, repeatable and no-contaminant multistructuring. Some industrial applications are illustrated.This work has been supported by the Consellería de Cultura, Xunta de Galicia/FEDER, Spain under Contract EM2012/019S

Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) Gene Polymorphism and Infant’s Anthropometry at Birth

This research was funded by the Institute of Health Carlos III (PI13/01559), including the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and the Regional Health Council of Andalusia (Spain) (PI-0405-2014).This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of “Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía” (PI-0405-2014). and “Consejería de Igualdad, Salud y Políticas Sociales, Junta de Andalucía” (PI13/01559)We follow the standards described in Andalusian and Spanish laws of personal data protection and biomedical research for the treatment of information and biological samples of human origin.Women were informed of all study procedures and gave their informed consent for inclusion before they participated in the study.The authors thank the team of the i-Diet software for their support in the estimation of daily energy and nutrient intake. Likewise, a special mention to the pregnant women who participated in this study and the health professionals from El Poniente Hospital, Almeria.Identification of causal factors that influence fetal growth and anthropometry at birth is of great importance as they provide information about increased risk of disease throughout life. The association between maternal genetic polymorphism MTHFR(677)C>T and anthropometry at birth has been widely studied because of its key role in the one-carbon cycle. MTHFR(677) CT and TT genotypes have been associated with a greater risk of low birth weight, especially in case of deficient intake of folic acid during pregnancy. This study aimed to analyze the association between the maternal MTHFR(677)C>T genetic polymorphism and anthropometry at birth in a population with adequate folate consumption. We included 694 mother-newborn pairs from a prospective population-based birth cohort in Spain, in the Genetics, Early life enviroNmental Exposures and Infant Development in Andalusia (GENEIDA) project. Women were genotyped for MTHFR(677)C>T SNP by Q-PCR using TaqMan (c) probes. Relevant maternal and newborn information was obtained from structured questionnaires and medical records. Results showed that maternal MTHFR(677)C>T genotype was associated with newborn anthropometry. Genotypes CT or CT/TT showed statistically significant associations with increased or decreased risk of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) or small-for-gestational-age (SGA) based on weight and height, depending on the newborn's sex, as well as with SGA in premature neonates. The relationships between this maternal genotype and anthropometry at birth remained despite an adequate maternal folate intake.Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI13/01559European CommissionRegional Health Council of Andalusia (Spain) PI-0405-201

Laser Surface Microstructuring of Biocompatible Materials Using a Microlens Array and the Talbot Effect: Evaluation of the Cell Adhesion

A laser based technique for microstructuring titanium and tantalum substrates using the Talbot effect and an array of microlenses is presented. By using this hybrid technique; we are able to generate different patterns and geometries on the top surfaces of the biomaterials. The Talbot effect allows us to rapidly make microstructuring, solving the common problems of using microlenses for multipatterning; where the material expelled during the ablation of biomaterials damages the microlens. The Talbot effect permits us to increase the working distance and reduce the period of the patterns. We also demonstrate that the geometries and patterns act as anchor points for cells; affecting the cell adhesion to the metallic substrates and guiding how they spread over the materialThis work has been supported under contracts MAT2015-71119-R, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, and ISCIII/PI14-01140/FEDER, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. M. Aymerich acknowledges a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from Xunta de Galicia (Spain) financed by the Secretaría Xeral de Universidades and the Fondo Social Europeo (FSE). D. Nieto thanks the Consellería de Cultura, Spain for their support under the Galician Programme for Research Innovation and Growth (2011–2015) (I2C Plan)S

Sulfate radical anion: Laser flash photolysis study and application in water disinfection and decontamination

[EN] Sulfate radicals (SO4 center dot-) reactivity against gram-negative (E. coli) and gram-positive (E. faecalis) bacteria and Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) (Diclofenac-DCF, Sulfamethoxazole-SMX and Trimethoprim-TMP) was investigated through laser flash photolysis (LFP) technique. Analysis of the lifetime of SO4 center dot- in presence of cell-wall compounds of bacteria and CECs allowed determining reactivity of SO4 center dot- towards these compounds. Results showed that SO4 center dot- reacts with common cell-wall components through H-abstraction mechanism (kSO4 center dot ¿ 109 M-1s-1 were found using aromatic amino acids (AAA) only present in Porins of the gram-negative outer-membrane. The intermediates detected from the reaction of SO4 center dot- with the AAA confirmed the involvement of electron transfer processes. Moreover, kSO4 center dot ¿ values determined for DCF, TMP and SMX also agreed with an electron transfer mechanism. Interestingly, bacteria and CECs removal at pilot plant scale by UV-C/SO4 center dot- is in accordance with the kSO4 center dot ¿ obtained using the LFP: E. coli > E. faecalis and DCF > TMP approximately equal to SMX.This work is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 765860 (AQUAlity) . Authors also acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Projects PID2019-110441RB-C32 and PID2019-110441RB-C33) . PhD Scholarship from CONACYT for J. Flores-Garcia (709358) is acknowledged.Berruti, I.; Polo-López, MI.; Oller, I.; Flores, J.; Marín García, ML.; Bosca Mayans, F. (2022). Sulfate radical anion: Laser flash photolysis study and application in water disinfection and decontamination. Applied Catalysis B Environmental. 315:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.12151911231

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the Killarney Fern (Vandenboschia speciosa, Hymenophyllaceae)

Premise of the study: We characterize 10 microsatellite loci in the endangered fern Vandenboschia speciosa (Hymenophyllaceae), enabling studies on the genetic population structure of this Macaronesian-European species using DNA hypervariable markers. Methods and Results: Ten primer sets were developed and tested on 47 individuals in a total of two Iberian populations of V. speciosa. The primers amplified di- and hexanucelotide repeats. The number of alleles ranged from two to eight, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.107 to 0.807 among the populations analyzed. Conclusions: The 10 microsatellite markers developed will be useful in characterizing the genetic diversity of V. speciosa and understanding its population structure (including the possible structure between sporophyte and gametophyte phases) and biogeographic history, and will provide important genetic data for the conservation of this species.This study was supported by the Regional Andalusian Government (project P10-RNM-6198). C.G.L. was funded by a postdoctoral grant from the Regional Andalusian Government. S.B.S. and L.T.C. were funded by a Beca-Iniciación a la Investigación grant from the Universidad de Granada during 2012–2013 and 2014–2015, respectively. I.M.A. was funded by a Beca-Colaboración grant (Spanish Government)

Study of Different Sol-Gel Coatings to Enhance the Lifetime of PDMS Devices: Evaluation of Their Biocompatibility

A study of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) sol-gel–coated channels fabricated using soft lithography and a laser direct writing technique is presented. PDMS is a biocompatible material that presents a high versatility to reproduce several structures. It is widely employed in the fabrication of preclinical devices due to its advantages but it presents a rapid chemical deterioration to organic solvents. The use of sol-gel layers to cover the PDMS overcomes this problem since it provides the robustness of glass for the structures made with PDMS, decreasing its deterioration and changing the biocompatibility of the surface. In this work, PDMS channels are coated with three different kinds of sol-gel compositions (60MTES/40TEOS, 70MTES/30TISP and 80MTES/20TISP). The endothelial cell adhesion to the different coated devices is evaluated in order to determine the most suitable sol-gel preparation conditions to enhance cellular adhesion.This work has been supported under contracts MAT2015–71119-R, Ministerio de Economíay Competitividad, and ISCIII/PI14-01140/FEDER, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. M. Aymerich acknowledges a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from Xunta de Galicia (Spain) financed by the Sistema Universitario de Galicia (SUG) and the Fondo Social Europeo (FSE)S

The visigothic tomb of "Sapatio"

Se ofrece en este trabajo el estudio de una tumba visigoda localizada en la Fase III de la Intervención Arqueológica en la Plaza de España de Écija (Sevilla), en la que confluye la información arqueológica con la antropológica y epigráfica.In this paper is offered the study of a visigothic tomb excavated in the 3rd phase of the archaeological excavations carried out in the Plaza de España of Ecija (Seville), in which the archaeological evidence meets with anthropological and epigraphic documentation

Un recurso virtual de apoyo al profesorado universitario para la evaluación de competencias

La evaluación de los aprendizajes dentro del contexto del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior exige desarrollar competencias docentes nuevas porque los planteamientos formativos son diferentes así como los escenarios profesionales donde se desarrollará una parte importante de la docencia. En consecuencia la continuidad de la evaluación tradicional a base de pruebas de papel y lápiz va a ser parcialmente inviable. Sobre ese problema de la evaluación y sobre el resto de los elementos docentes implicados se ha llevado a cabo una investigación en 5 universidades españolas para determinar primeramente y mediante procedimientos de acuerdo social (grupos de discusión) y de encuesta las competencias docentes clave percibidas por el profesorado como imprescindibles para dar respuesta a este desafío; entre ellas se describieron 11 competencias para la evaluación. En un segundo momento se ha realizado on-line una valoración de las necesidades de formación que el profesorado encuestado entendía tener respecto a las competencias antes identificadas. Los datos obtenidos permiten afirmar que el profesorado encuestado percibe un bloque mayoritario de competencias clave relacionadas con el manejo de los diferentes elementos del sistema de evaluación del alumnado; el resto del bagaje competencial evaluador se relaciona con el aprovechamiento de la información obtenida en el proceso para la mejora de la propia práctica docente. Las necesidades de formación detectadas señalan la evaluación en contextos nuevos de enseñanza aprendizaje y la elaboración de instrumentos de evaluación como ámbitos preferentes para la formación continua así como la necesidad de particularizar en centros y titulaciones dicha oferta de formación.Educational assessment in the teaching context of European Higher Education Area demands specific assessment competencies to university lecturers; main reason is because educational background as well as the learning arenas is going to change substantially in the higher education system of Europe along de next decades. Subsequently traditional pen-and-pencil assessment practices will be of scarce utility for the feature teaching-and-learning processes. A research project has been conducted to identify teaching competencies perceived by lecturers as key-competencies for the new situation. Managing focus-group and survey technics eleven assessment competencies were firstly identified; a need training assessment process on such evaluation competencies have been executed afterward. Research data point out to a majority handful of competencies related with the management of strategies to assess student learning process and outcomes; the minority group speaks on competencies to integrate global assessment information on improving teaching practice. Finally some training need have been stated as assessment strategies in new learning environments, assessment technics, as well as the need of planning context-related (in-service) training offers

Use of the Barthel Index to Assess Activities of Daily Living before and after SARS-COVID 19 Infection of Institutionalized Nursing Home Patients

[Abstract] The objective of the present study was to evaluate the activities of daily living (ADLs) using the Barthel Index before and after infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and also to determine whether or not the results varied according to gender. The ADLs of 68 cohabiting geriatric patients, 34 men and 34 women, in two nursing homes were measured before and after SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)) infection. COVID-19 infection was found to affect the performance of ADLs in institutionalized elderly in nursing homes, especially in the more elderly subjects, regardless of sex. The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to having claimed many victims, especially in the elderly population, has led to a reduction in the abilities of these people to perform their ADLs and caused considerable worsening of their quality of life even after recovering from the disease