Caracterización molecular de bacterias ácido-lácticas aisladas a partir de carne de ternera envasada al vacío de modo tradicional y mediante un sistema avanzado

A total of 91 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from 50 beef samples, 25 packaged by traditional vacuum packaging and 25 packaged using advanced vacuum skin packaging. The isolated LAB were identified using 16S rRNA sequencing, whereas randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) and cluster analysis were used for typing the LABs. Ten different species of LAB were identified and assigned to the following species: Enterococcus gilvus (22 isolates), Enterococcus faecium (9 isolates), Enterococcus casseliflavus (8 isolates), Enterococcus faecalis (4 isolates), Enterococcus malodoratus (3 isolates), Enterococcus devriessei (3 isolates), Lactobacillus sakei (15 isolates), Carnobacterium divergens (12 isolates), Carnobacterium maltaromaticum (5 isolates), and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (8 isolates). The RAPD profile bands observed were not significantly discriminatory, with exceptions of E. casseliflavus, E. faecalis, and E. faecium, which suggests that the type of packaging system used had no specific effect on the selection of most microbiota in the meat after packagingUn total de 91 bacterias ácido-lácticas (LAB) fueron aisladas a partir de 50 muestras de carne de ternera, de las cuales 25 fueron envasadas al vacío de modo tradicional y 25 fueron envasadas mediante un sistema de vacío avanzado. Los aislamientos fueron identificados a través de la secuenciación del ADN ribosomal 16S, mientras que la caracterización de las LAB se realizó mediante la amplificación al azar del ADN polimórfico (RAPD-PCR) y su posterior análisis cluster. Fueron identificadas cepas pertenecientes a diez especies bacterianas diferentes, en concreto: Enterococcus gilvus (22 aislamientos), E. faecium (9 aislamientos), E. casseliflavus (8 aislamientos), E. faecalis (4 aislamientos), E. malodoratus (3 aislamientos), E. devriessei (3 aislamientos), Lactobacillus sakei (15 aislamientos), Carnobacterium divergens (12 aislamientos), C. maltaromaticum (5 aislamientos) y Leuconostoc mesenteroides (8 aislamientos). Los perfiles de bandas de ADN obtenidas no revelaron diferencias significativas, con las excepciones de E. casseliflavus, E. faecalis y E. faecium, sugiriendo que el tipo de envasado no tiene un efecto específico en la selección de la mayor parte de la microbiota presente en la carne envasadaS

Efficacy of Different Waste and By-Products from Forest and Food Industries in the Removal/Retention of the Antibiotic Cefuroxime

Environmental pollution due to antibiotics is a serious problem. In this work, the adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic cefuroxime (CFX) were studied in four by-products/residues from the forestry and food industries. For this, batch-type experiments were carried out, adding increasing concentrations of CFX (from 0 to 50 µmol L−1) to 0.5 g of adsorbent. The materials with a pH higher than 9 (mussel shell and wood ash) were those that presented the highest adsorption percentages, from 71.2% (23.1 µmol kg−1) to 98.6% (928.0 µmol kg−1). For the rest of the adsorbents, the adsorption was also around 100% when the lowest concentrations of CFX were added, but the percentage dropped sharply when the highest dose of the antibiotic was incorporated. Adsorption data fitted well to the Langmuir and Freundlich models, with R2 greater than 0.9. Regarding desorption, the materials that presented the lowest values when the highest concentration of CFX was added were wood ash (0%) and mussel shell (2.1%), while pine bark and eucalyptus leaves presented the highest desorption (26.6% and 28.6%, respectively). Therefore, wood ash and mussel shell could be considered adsorbents with a high potential to be used in problems of environmental contamination by CFXThis research was funded by SPANISH MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND UNIVERSITIES, grant numbers RTI2018-099574-B-C21 and RTI2018-099574-B-C22S

Retention of the Antibiotic Cefuroxime onto Agricultural and Forest Soils

Antibiotics in wastewater, sewage sludge, manures, and slurries constitute a risk for the environment when spread on soils. This work studies the adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic cefuroxime (CFX) in 23 agricultural and forest soils, using batch-type experiments. Our results show that the adsorption values were between 40.75 and 99.57% in the agricultural soils, while the range was lower (from 74.57 to 93.46%) in forest soils. Among the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Linear models, the Freundlich equation shows the best fit for the adsorption results. In addition, agricultural soils with higher pH are the ones that present the highest adsorption. Further confirmation of the influence of pH on adsorption is given by the fact that Freundlich’s KF parameter and the Linear model Kd parameter shows a positive correlation with pH and with the exchangeable Ca and Mg values, which are known to affect the charges of the soil colloids and the formation of cationic bridges between adsorbents and adsorbate. In addition, Freundlich’s n parameter shows a positive and significant correlation with the organic matter content, related to the high adsorption taking place on forest soils despite their pH < 5. Regarding desorption, in most cases, it is lower than 1%, which indicates that CFX is adsorbed in a rather irreversible way onto these soils. Overall, these results can be considered relevant regarding their potential impact on environmental quality and public healthThis research was funded by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, grant numbers RTI2018-099574-B-C21 and RTI2018-099574-B-C22S

Políticas públicas para el desarrollo y la competitividad en la industria manufacturera

Las pequeñas y medianas empresas generan gran parte de los empleos en los países industrializados, sin embargo, la mayoría de los gobiernos muestran una gran falta de atención a las mismas, por considerarlas actividades poco importantes o de escaso aporte a sus economías. En México apenas se está iniciando el debate entre gobernantes, políticos y grandes empresarios, sobre la función de las pymes. Entre las cuestiones principales que se discuten están: ¿cuál es la importancia real de su contribución al crecimiento eocnómico de estos países?, ¿son un motor clave en la creación de empleos para las economías nacionales

The case of a southern European glacier disappearing under recent warming that survived Roman and Medieval warm periods

Mountain glaciers have generally experienced an accelerated retreat over the last three decades as a rapid response to current global warming. However, the response to previous warm periods in the Holocene is not well-described for glaciers of the of southern Europe mountain ranges, such as the Pyrenees. The situation during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (900-1300 CE) is particularly relevant since it is not certain whether the glaciers just experienced significant ice loss or whether they actually disappeared. We present here the first chronological study of a glacier located in the Central Pyrenees (N Spain), the Monte Perdido Glacier (MPG), carried out by different radiochronological techniques and their comparison with geochemical proxies with neighboring paleoclimate records. The result of the chronological model proves that the glacier endured during the Roman Period and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. The lack of ice from last 600 years indicates that the ice formed during the Little Ice Age has melted away. The analyses of the content of several metals of anthropogenic origin, such as Zn, Se, Cd, Hg, Pb, appear in low amounts in MPG ice, which further supports our age model in which the record from the industrial period is lost. This study confirms the exceptional warming of the last decades in the context of last two millennia. We demonstrate that we are facing an unprecedented retreat of the 55 Pyrenean glaciers which survival is compromised beyond a few decades

Mid and late Holocene forest fires and deforestation in the subalpine belt of the Iberian range, northern Spain

26 Pags.- 6 Figs.- 2 Tabls. The definitive version is available at: http://link.springer.com/journal/11629The conversion of subalpine forests into grasslands for pastoral use is a well-known phenomenon, although for most mountain areas the timing of deforestation has not been determined. The presence of charcoal fragments in soil profiles affected by shallow landsliding enabled us to date the occurrence of fires and the periods of conversion of subalpine forest into grasslands in the Urbión Mountains, Iberian Range, Spain. We found that the treeline in the highest parts of the northwestern massifs of the Iberian Range (the Urbión, Demanda, Neila, and Cebollera massifs) is currently between 1500 and 1600 m a.s.l., probably because of pastoral use of the subalpine belt, whereas in the past it would have reached almost the highest divides (at approximately 2100–2200 m a.s.l.). The radiocarbon dates obtained indicate that the transformation of the subalpine belt occurred during the Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Middle Ages. Forest clearing was probably moderate during fires prior to the Middle Ages, as the small size of the sheep herds and the local character of the markets only required small clearings, and therefore more limited fires. Thus, it is likely that the forest recovered burnt areas in a few decades; this suggests the management of the forest and grasslands following a slash-and-burn system. During the Middle and Modern Ages deforestation and grassland expansion affected most of the subalpine belt and coincided with the increasing prevalence of transhumance, as occurred in other mountains in the Iberian Peninsula (particularly the Pyrenees). Although the occurrence of shallow landslides following deforestation between the Neolithic and the Roman Period cannot be ruled out, the most extensive shallow landsliding processes would have occurred from the Middle Ages until recent times.Support for this research was provided by the projects INDICA (CGL2011- 27753-C02-01 and -02) and DINAMO2 (CGL2012-33063), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Peer reviewe

Cost-effectiveness of a technology-supported multimodal prehabilitation program in moderate-to-high risk patients undergoing lung cancer resection: randomized controlled trial protocol

Background: Multimodal prehabilitation is a preoperative intervention with the objective to enhance cancer patients' functional status which has been showed to reduce both postoperative morbidity and hospital length of stay in digestive oncologic surgery. However, in lung cancer surgery patients further studies with higher methodological quality are needed to clarify the benefits of prehabilitation. The main aim of the current protocol is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a multimodal prehabilitation program supported by information and communication technologies in moderate-to-high risk lung cancer patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Methods: A Quadruple Aim approach will be adopted, assessing the prehabilitation program at the following levels: i) Patients' and professionals' experience outcomes (by means of standardized questionnaires, focus groups and structured interviews); ii) Population health-based outcomes (e.g. hospital length of stay, number and severity of postoperative complications, peak oxygen uptake and levels of systemic inflammation); and, iii) Healthcare costs. Discussion: This study protocol should contribute not only to increase the scientific basis on prehabilitation but also to detect the main factors modulating service adoption. Trial registration: NCT04052100 (August 9, 2019)

Club sobre corrupción e integridad (II): el uso de material audiovisual como estrategia de innovación y mejora docente en estudios sobre corrupción, integridad y gobernanza global

Memoria ID2022-103. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2022-2023

El modelo CEIBAL. Nuevas tendencias para el aprendizaje

El Plan CEIBAL es mucho más que una computadora portátil. Es innegable el valor que ha tenido haber entregado 550 000 computadoras en cuatro años, conectar la totalidad de los centros educativos públicos del país con más de 3000 puntos de acceso, ofrecer una creciente conectividad abarcando el 99% de la matrícula escolar. Las tareas tecnológicas y logísticas han sido titánicas y de enorme valor para reducir la brecha digital en el acceso, y los usos de internet y las tecnologías vinculadas a las computadoras. Sin embargo, las tareas que tiene por delante el Plan CEIBAL son de magnitudes similares o incluso mayores a las ya realizadas. Y hasta será más difícil lograr los objetivos planteados, ya que involucran a los elementos clave en cualquier proceso educativo: los docentes, los estudiantes y la comunidad. El propósito es que estos tres colectivos se apropien del plan, lo hagan suyo. Para los docentes, apropiarse del Plan significa aprovechar al máximo las potencialidades de las tecnologías para mejorar sus prácticas, para atreverse a innovar y hasta para simplificar sus tareas administrativas. Para los estudiantes, el eslabón más fuerte de esta tríada, apropiarse del Plan significa utilizar las computadoras y el medio digital para aprender, para comunicarse y para producir contenidos con sentido propio, y responsabilidad social y colaborativa. Para la comunidad, apropiarse del Plan CEIBAL significa utilizar internet para fines propios y elaborar contenidos en función de sus necesidades e intereses. Para que todo esto sea posible es imprescindible estudiar, investigar e innovar