Automatic wavelength spectrometer calibration during arc-welding process

Spectroscopic analysis techniques are widely used in a variety of scientific areas. The availability of low-cost CCD spectrometers has also allowed their development in several industrial applications, like on-line analysis of arc and laser welding processes. A correct spectrometer wavelength calibration is always required, specially when changes in ambient temperature are to be found, or when the optical fiber attached to the spectrometer is replaced. This calibration procedure commonly involves the recalculation of a pixelwavelength polynomial by means of regression techniques after having defined a new experimental setup. Besides, specific calibration lamps are needed to use some known emission lines in the regression stage. In this paper, a technique which allows a real-time, in-process automatic wavelength calibration of CCD spectrometers in arc-welding processes is presented. The key point in the automatic calibration process is the real-time identification of some particular emission lines emitted from the plasma generated during the welding process. TIG welding tests performed on stainless steel plates will show the feasibility of the proposed technique. As well as for laser welding, the automatic wavelength calibration procedure could be easily extended to some other spectroscopic techniques

El rap como excusa para la convivencia, un mecanismo de crear y recrear espacios de participación de los estudiantes de grado 602 de la ied cedid ciudad Bolívar de la localidad 19

La sociedad del siglo XXI vive inmersa en una transformación globalizada, constante y dinámica donde los individuos se ven sometidos a convivir en ambientes en los cuales los índices de agresiones físicas y emocionales son realmente altos; de allí el interés por desarrollar esta propuesta de trabajo de intervención sobre el RAP como excusa para la convivencia, un mecanismo de crear y recrear espacios de participación de los estudiantes de grado sexto de la IED CEDID Ciudad Bolívar de la localidad 19. Es el RAP un medio que permite la participación, la expresión de emociones, sentimientos, frustraciones y sueños de los 4.400 estudiantes de esta institución, y de la cual se ven beneficiados 40 estudiantes del grado 602 de la jornada de la mañana. Se utilizará una metodología Cualitativa Investigación-Acción al emplear la observación de campo como medio para alcanzar la cuantificación de cuál es el problema más álgido que se presenta respecto a la convivencia estudiantil, siendo los estudiantes los principales comprometidos en la tarea de convivir en el medio educativo, son ellos quienes presentan las conclusiones del análisis de la problemática

Comparative Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Olive Leaves Using a Sonotrode and an Ultrasonic Bath and the Evaluation of Both Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity

This study is part of the project SHEALTHY that has received funding from European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 817936. This study was also supported by project RTI2018-099835-A-I00 financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/5011000 11033/FEDER "Una manera de hacer Europa".A sonotrode ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from olive leaves has been developed using a Box-Behnken design to optimize the effects of solvent composition and ultrasound parameters. The determination of single phenolic compounds was performed by HPLC-MS and the highest recovery in total compounds, oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol was achieved using EtOH/H2O (55:45, v/v), 8 min and 100% of amplitude. The optimal conditions were applied on leaves from seven olive cultivars grown under the same conditions and the results were compared with those found by using a conventional ultrasonic bath, obtaining no statistical differences. Moreover, antioxidant activity by FRAP, DPPH and ABTS in these olive leaf extracts was evaluated and they exhibited a significant correlation with oleuropein and total phenolic content. All cultivars of olive leaf extracts were found to be active against S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus with minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values) that ranged from 5.5 to 22.5 mg mL(-1). No extracts showed antimicrobial activity against C. albicans. The percentages of mycelium reduction in B. cinerea ranged from 2.2 and 18.1%. Therefore, sonotrode could be considered as an efficient and fast extraction technique that could be easily scaled-up at industrial level, thus allowing for olive leaves to be revalorized.European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme 817936MCIN/AEI/FEDER "Una manera de hacer Europa" RTI2018-099835-A-I0

Monitoring and preliminary analysis of the natural responses recorded in a poorly accessible streambed spring located at a fluviokarstic gorge in Southern Spain

The analysis of natural responses (hydrodynamic, hydrothermal and hydrochemical) of karst springs is a well-established approach to provide insights into the hydrogeological functioning of the aquifers that they drain. However, a suitable monitoring program of these responses are often difficult to launch in poorly accessible streambed springs, due to the mixing between surface water and groundwater, in addition to topographic impediments. This work describes the installation procedure of the measurement equipment and the preliminary hydrogeological dataset collected at the Charco del Moro spring (Southern Spain) during one year. This outlet emerges 5 m below water surface, at the bottom of a partially flooded 20 - 200 m deep and 2 km long gorge, eroded by the Guadiaro River streamflow. It is considered the largest discharge point in the region, draining groundwater from northern nearby carbonate outcrops, although its catchment area is not established yet. Continuous (hourly) monitoring of electrical conductivity, water temperature, turbidity and water level (discharge) reflects a high degree of heterogeneity in the duality of groundwater flow and storage dynamics, which is typical of karst conduit flow systemsUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Peroxiredoxin 6 Down-Regulation Induces Metabolic Remodeling and Cell Cycle Arrest in HepG2 Cells

Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6) is the only member of 1-Cys subfamily of peroxiredoxins in human cells. It is the only Prdx acting on phospholipid hydroperoxides possessing two additional sites with phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and lysophosphatidylcholine-acyl transferase (LPCAT) activities. There are contrasting reports on the roles and mechanisms of multifunctional Prdx6 in several pathologies and on its sensitivity to, and influence on, the redox environment. We have down-regulated Prdx6 with specific siRNA in hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells to study its role in cell proliferation, redox homeostasis, and metabolic programming. Cell proliferation and cell number decreased while cell volume increased; import of glucose and nucleotide biosynthesis also diminished while polyamines, phospholipids, and most glycolipids increased. A proteomic quantitative analysis suggested changes in membrane arrangement and vesicle trafficking as well as redox changes in enzymes of carbon and glutathione metabolism, pentose-phosphate pathway, citrate cycle, fatty acid metabolism, biosynthesis of aminoacids, and Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis. Specific redox changes in Hexokinase-2 (HK2), Prdx6, intracellular chloride ion channel-1 (CLIC1), PEP-carboxykinase-2 (PCK2), and 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) are compatible with the metabolic remodeling toward a predominant gluconeogenic flow from aminoacids with diversion at 3-phospohglycerate toward serine and other biosynthetic pathways thereon and with cell cycle arrest at G1/S transition

The leisure nautical sector in the atlantic area.

According to the so-called ”maritime economy”, maritime activities are one of the key elements of the Lisbon Strategy. According to the European Union, those sectors related to the exploitation of the seas have contributed to the building of the Atlantic Area identity. Some subsectors from the maritime economy face tough times, while other o er great opportunities for economic growth and employment. In this context the HARVEST ATLANTIC (Harnessing All Resources Valuable to Economies of Seaside Territories on the Atlantic) project is developed, approved by the Atlantic Area Interreg IV-B Program. This study includes the main results obtained from the above mentioned project related to the recreational nautical sector in four countries from the Atlantic area (Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Scotland). The surveys that were conducted among companies from the sector included di erent aspects related with their location, innovation, human capital and policy making

Cost-Effectiveness of an Exercise Programme that Provided Group or Individual Training to Reduce the Fall Risk in Healthy Community-Dwelling People Aged 65–80: A Secondary Data Analysis

Research has demonstrated that some exercise programs are effective for reducing fall rates in community-dwelling older people; however, the literature is limited in providing clear recommendations of individual or group training as a result of economic evaluation. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Otago Exercise Program (OEP) for reducing the fall risk in healthy, non-institutionalized older people. An economic evaluation of a multicenter, blinded, randomized, non-inferiority clinical trial was performed on 498 patients aged over 65 in primary care. Participants were randomly allocated to the treatment or control arms, and group or individual training. The program was delivered in primary healthcare settings and comprised five initial sessions, ongoing encouragement and support to exercise at home, and a reinforcement session after six months. Our hypothesis was that the patients who received the intervention would achieve better health outcomes and therefore need lower healthcare resources during the follow-up, thus, lower healthcare costs. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, which used the timed up and go test results as an effective measure for preventing falls. The secondary outcomes included differently validated tools that assessed the fall risk. The cost per patient was USD 51.28 lower for the group than the individual sessions in the control group, and the fall risk was 10% lower when exercises had a group delivery. The OEP program delivered in a group manner was superior to the individual method. We observed slight differences in the incremental cost estimations when using different tools to assess the risk of fall, but all of them indicated the dominance of the intervention group. The OEP group sessions were more cost-effective than the individual sessions, and the fall risk was 10% lower

Tandem Repeat DNA provides many cytological markers for hybrid zone analysis in two subspecies of the grasshopper chorthippus parallelus

Recent advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) have greatly increased our understanding of non-coding tandem repeat (TR) DNA. Here we show how TR DNA can be useful for the study of hybrid zones (HZ), as it serves as a marker to identify introgression in areas where two biological entities come in contact. We used Illumina libraries to analyse two subspecies of the grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus, which currently form a HZ in the Pyrenees. We retrieved a total of 152 TR sequences, and used fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to map 77 families in purebred individuals from both subspecies. Our analysis revealed 50 TR families that could serve as markers for analysis of this HZ, using FISH. Differential TR bands were unevenly distributed between chromosomes and subspecies. Some of these TR families yielded FISH bands in only one of the subspecies, suggesting the amplification of these TR families after the geographic separation of the subspecies in the Pleistocene. Our cytological analysis of two TR markers along a transect of the Pyrenean hybrid zone showed asymmetrical introgression of one subspecies into the other, consistent with previous findings using other markers. These results demonstrate the reliability of TR-band markers for hybrid zone studie