Monitoring wolf populations using howling points combined with sign survey transects

Wolves respond to simulated howling, especially during the mating and breeding seasons. Simulated howling points are, therefore, commonly used by many wolf researchers around the world to estimate pack numbers in a given area. A large amount of information is available on various pack breeding areas in Asturias, the only region in north-western Spain where the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus, Cabrera 1907) is not classed as a game species. Wolf research began there in the early 1980s. We present the results of the latest study on population status, conducted between July and November, 2001. Using sampling transects to detect wolf scat and scratch marks and designated howling and observation points, twenty one (21) wolf packs were definitely located, with two others considered “likely”. Nineteen (19) packs were detected using howling points (n=314). The results of this study show that simulated howling points and sampling transects are reliable and inexpensive way of detecting wolf packs

Arterial palmar arch occlusion in a woman with Raynaud's disease taking oral combined menopausal hormone therapy: A case report

Patients with surgical menopause often present to their primary care provider with menopausal symptoms. Here we present an unusual case of palmar arch artery occlusion in a 55-year-old woman with primary Raynaud's disease taking oral combined menopausal hormone therapy after surgical menopause for endometriosis. She was successfully treated with intravenous infusion of prostaglandin E1 and nitroglycerin patches over two weeks. Menopausal hormone therapy was stopped and her vasomotor symptoms did not recur

Wireless temperature sensing in hostile environments using a microcontroller powered by optical fiber

Uno de los mayores riegos del mundo industrial es el fallo de las maquinarias y aparatos que los forman. Un error, provocado por la causa que sea, puede tener consecuencias fatales, no solo para la empresa sino también para todo su entorno. Estas máquinas trabajan con altas cantidades de energía, por lo que su control y monitoreo disminuye los riesgos y asegura una mayor seguridad a la hora de trabajar con ellos. Un ejemplo de este tipo de máquinas son los transformadores. Estos dispositivos trabajan con circuitos eléctricos que intercambian altas cantidades de potencia para el funcionamiento y distribución eléctrica. Existen distintos parámetros a medir para poder monitorear el estado en que se encuentran estas máquinas, pero uno de los principales es la temperatura, y en ese se va a basar este proyecto. Controlar la temperatura de un transformador supone controlar el interior del mismo, y con ello asegurarse de que funciona correctamente, y que sigue en el periodo de su vida útil, ya que el envejecimiento y desgaste de esta puede llegar a generar graves consecuencias. La temperatura se va a medir utilizando un sensor de instrumentación. Para su diseño, la principal característica a tener en cuenta es la necesidad de que se adapte al entorno hostil que rodea a los transformadores. Es por ello que se va a utilizar un sensor de fibra óptica, inmune a las interferencias electromagnéticas y de radiofrecuencia, y garantizando un bajo coste. La información del sensor se va a obtener con un microprocesador, conectado en el punto de salida de señal del sensor. Este dispositivo va a obtener la data correspondiente y la va a transmitir al módulo de comunicación, encargado de emitir los resultados a la unidad de control. Como sistema de comunicación, se va a utilizar un protocolo inalámbrico. El protocolo ZigBee asegura una robustez y rápido start-up, así como un diseño simple y sencillo. Finalmente, la interfaz de ordenador se va a diseñar con el programa LabView. Va a tener la funcionalidad de punto de control, con la capacidad de activar el funcionamiento de la red sensorial, y su casi inmediato monitoreo. Eso es, que la interfaz estará diseñada para obtener la data emitida por el sensor, y analizarla, dándole al usuario la información correspondiente, casi en tiempo inmediato. Por lo que es posible conocer, casi al momento, la temperatura a la que se encuentra el sensor, por ende la temperatura en el transformador. En caso de requerir un sistema totalmente inmune a las interferencias electromagnéticas, la alimentación del sensor se podría hacer a través de la tecnología PoF (Power over Fiber). Utilizando un sistema ya diseñado e implementado de la universidad, se van a adaptar sus parámetros a los requerimientos del sistema para observar sus resultados, tanto teórica como experimentalmente. Este proyecto consiste en el diseño e implementación de todos los distintos componentes del sensor de temperatura, es decir, la fibra óptica y sus circuitos de adaptación, la programación del microprocesador, el establecimiento de la comunicación inalámbrica, y el diseño de la interfaz. Una vez implementado todo el sistema, se van a realizar distintas pruebas, donde se va a someter al sensor a bruscas variaciones de temperaturas para estudiar su respuesta. Y una vez comprobado que todo el sistema funciona correctamente, se va a sustituir la fuente de tensión, por la tecnología PoF, observando los resultados y su posible futura inclusión en el desarrollo de sensores.One of the greatest risks of the industrial area is the failure of the machines and devices composing in. Any mistake may have fatal consequences, not only for the industry but also for its environment. These machines work with high quantities of energy, so its control and monitoring decreases the risks and guarantees a greater security when working with them The transformers are an example of these machines. These devices work with electrical circuits exchanging great amounts of energy for the electrical distribution. There are different parameters that will enable the monitoring of the machine´s state, but one of the main ones is the temperature, and it is what this project will focus on. In order to control the temperature of the transformer, the sensor must be placed inside of it. This means one of the main characteristics of the designed sensor has to be its immunity to electromagnetic and radiofrequency interferences, this is why it the selected sensor uses optical fiber. The data acquisition is going to be done with a microprocessor, which will be connected to the sensor and programed to obtain the results and transmit them to communication module, which is set to emit them to the control unit. The communication is going to use a wireless protocol. The ZigBee protocol is going to provide roughness and fast commissioning, as well as a simple and nice design. The control unit is going to be designed with the LabView program. Its programming include the acquisition of the data received from the sensor and its analysis. This means it will take the results and give the user its equivalent temperature value, almost immediately to the response of the sensor. This way it is possible to know the temperature the sensor is at, hence the temperature of the transformer. In case of requiring a system totally immune to interferences, the system will have to be powered with a PoF technology. A PoF system already designed and implemented is going to be adapted to the system, and tested to read its response. The project consists on the design and implementation of the sensor temperature, and all its components, this is the optical fiber and its adaptation circuits, the microprocessor´s programming, the communication and the interface design. Once the whole system is implemented, different tests are going to be done where the sensor is going to be submitted to abrupt temperature variations and its response studied. Once checked the system is working correctly the power source will be replaced with the PoF, analyzing its results and future inclusion on the sensors development.Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automátic

Análisis bibliométrico sobre evaluación de programas y comunidades terapéuticas para la rehabilitación de toxicómanos

Este estudio tiene por objeto revisar evaluaciones realizadas en programas y comunidades terapéuticas para la rehabilitación de toxicómanos . Con este fin, se analizan 166 documentos entre informes de investigación y tesis doctorales de los últimos 10 años (1994-04) aproximadamente. Para ello se ha utilizado la metodología cuantitativa, a través de las variables seleccionadas y de indicadores bibliométricos de producción y colaboración. Además también se empleó la metodología cualitativa mediante un análisis de contenido de tópicos temáticos de interés.Para obtener los documentos objeto de estudio recurrimos a las bases de datos pertinentes utilizando los descriptores más representativos. Después de recoger los documentos y realizar los análisis de datos pertinentes hemos intentado ofrecer unas conclusiones generales e implicaciones metodológicas que ayuden a conocer mejor la disciplina objeto de estudio

Wolves in human-dominated landscapes of Northwestern Iberian Peninsula

This thesis has focused on the study of different aspects of wolf (Canis lupus) ecology to try explain its presence and persistence in human-dominated landscapes. We analyzed factors affecting the presence of the wolf in relation to the availability of food, landscape features and human pressure.We found that the group of predictors related with landscape attributes (altitude, roughness and refuge) strongly determined wolf occurrence, followed by human pressure and food availability. To study changes in the diet of wolves in last decades in western Galicia, we have compared data from 102 stomachs collected between 1970-1985 and the data from 93 wolf stomachs collected between 2002-2014. We discuss the potential implications of the observed shift in the diet of wolves on human-wolf conflicts. We also call attention on the pressing need to integrate policies into biodiversity conservation to anticipate future conservation and management dilemmas. We studied the factors determining homesites wolf selection in relation to food availability, human pressure and refuge availability in human-dominated landscapes. We compared the characteristics of 33 homesites located in Western Galicia with 151 random points. Homesite wolf selection was not determined by food availability in the immediate vicinity. Wolves placed their homesites in areas with a high availability of unfragmented refuge, low accessibility and low human activity levels. We investigated the selection of resting sites by wolves in this human-dominated landscape by studying the spatial behaviour of 16 wolves equipped with GPS-GSM collars. Within each wolf territory, we generated several random points to contrast with observed resting sites. Wolves located their resting sites away from paved and large unpaved roads and from settlements; in addition, they significantly selected areas with high availability of horizontal (refuge) and canopy cover. We used spatial information from 29 wolves equipped with GPS-GSM collars to identify the determinants of home range size variation in human-dominated landscapes regarding individual and social attributes, seasons (breeding season vs. mating season), environmental and human factors and food availability. We have observed similar spatial requirements in wolves regardless of gender and age classes. However, adult and sub-adult pack members showed on average an annual home range size four times smaller than non-pack members. For wolf pack members, seasonal differences were also observed in range sizes, being larger during the mating season compared to the breeding season. We found that the importance of livestock in the diet of wolves influenced home range and core area sizes. The proportion of livestock in the diet showed negative and significant influence on range sizes

Discipline, learning and interaction in US bilingual classroom contexts

This article presents the results derived from the implementation of a new discipline program at Fischer Middle School, San Jose, California, a bilingual school (English/ Spanish) located in an area of predominantly low income Hispanic student population. In order to tackle the interference with academic achievement arising from discipline problems, new strategies in the treatment of behavior and discipline issues were adopted: development of responsibility, meaningful rules and consequences, preventive strategies and alternatives to punishment for minor and more severe problems. The findings were both contradictory and encouraging: the survey showed a bigger interest in learning and academic achievement in most children; on the other hand, GPAS did not get better in the year of the intervention and the overall number of referrals increased slightly, although there was a significant month to month reduction pattern in the second year.Este artículo presenta los resultados obtenidos tras la implementación y evaluación de un nuevo programa de disciplina en la Middle School Fischer, San Jose, California, una escuela bilingüe (inglés ¡español), en un área con una población estudiantil de origen hispano y renta baja. Para afrontar la incidencia de los problemas disciplinarios en los rendimientos académicos, se adoptaron de forma experimental una serie de medidas: desarrollo de la responsabilidad personal, normas y consecuencias de su ruptura coherentes entre sí, estrategias preventivas de la violencia y alternativas al castigo en respuesta a los problemas de diversa naturaleza. Los resultados pueden considerarse alentadores y contradictorios: los alumnos mostraron un mayor interés por el aprendizaje, aunque su rendimiento académico no mejoró sustancialmente y el número de partes de incidencia por mala conducta aumentó moderadamente. Sin embargo, la tendencia fue a la baja en el segundo año de implementación

El modelo de stake como marco de referencia para evaluar una comunidad terapéutica para la rehabilitación de toxicómanos

En este artículo presentamos el Modelo de Stake como marco de referencia teórico para evaluar un programa de rehabilitación de toxicómanos que utiliza la Comunidad Terapéutica (C.T.) como método de tratamiento terapéutico. Tanto los residentes, los terapeutas, las familias y los voluntarios participaron en este trabajo evaluativo a través de cuestionarios estructurados, entrevistas con preguntas abiertas y la observación participante y no participante del evaluador. Los resultados obtenidos de este estudio de caso posibilitan extraer unas conclusiones esclarecedoras acerca de las diversas estrategias y actividades terapéuticas implementadas en el programa que pueden ayudar a la mejora del mismo y de otros programas con características similares