Glacis calcisolico y suelos con horizon cálcico en el NE de la provincia de Granada

[Resumen] La importancia del estudio de las zonas semiáridas parece incuestionable ya que constituyen uno de los ecosistemas más extensos del mundo. España en concreto es el país de Europa que tiene las zonas más extensas y además coinciden con los ambientes socialmente más deprimidos, cuyas características derivan de la aridez ambiental. En el sector nororiental de la provincia de Granada se localiza la Depresión de Baza, definida por un altiplano con una altitud media de 950 metros. La geomorfología queda dibujada por dos conjuntos: alineaciones montañosas y altiplanicie, dando ésta última un paisaje singular que por su extrema sequedad constituye uno de los paisajes más característicos de las zonas esteparias peninsulares. La desigual evolución de los suelos nos permite detallar en el presente trabajo la unidad edafogeomorfológica del glacis calcisólico, desarrollada por denudación de la superficie del glacis lúvico antiguo y la materialización de suelos con horizonte cálcico, originado antiguamente por precipitación del carbonato cálcico ante la desecación del suelo en la estación seca, o petrocálcico 9riginado tras repetidas redisoluciones y reprecipitaciones de la caliza, con fuerte cementación final.[Abstract] Semiarid zones are the vastest ecosystems in the world, therefore their study is very important. Spain is the european country supporting mostly european semiarid zones, moreover these areas are underdeveloped because of their arid environment. The Baza Depresion is located at the north-east of Granada province and is a high plateau with 950m altitude average. Geomorphology is composed for two formations: a mountainous area and a high plateau; this offers a singular landscape making up one of the most characteristics Spanish sttepe. In this study, the calcisolic glacis edaphogeomorphological unit is detailed. This unit is developed by denudation of the old luvic glacis and soils with calcic horizon; this horizon was originated by calcium carbonate precipitation during the dry season, or in the case of petrocalcic horizon, originated by repeated redisolutions and reprecipitations of the calcium carbonate

Antigenotoxicity and Tumor Growing Inhibition by Leafy Brassica carinata and Sinigrin

Cruciferous vegetables are well known and worldwide consumed due to their health benefits and cancer prevention properties. As a desirable cruciferous plant, Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) and its glucosinolate sinigrin were tested in the in vivo Drosophila melanogaster (SMART) and the in vitro HL60 (human promyelocytic leukaemia cell line) systems. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of plant samples confirmed the presence of sinigrin as principal B. carinata glucosinolate. SMART was performed by feeding D. melanogaster larvae either with different concentrations of plant/compound samples or combining them with hydrogen peroxide (a potent oxidative mutagen) being both antimutagenics. HL60 assays showed the tumoricidal activity of plant samples (IC50 = 0.28 mg·mL−1) and the breakdown products of sinigrin hydrolysis (IC50 = 2.71 μM). Our results enhance the potential of B. carinata as health promoter and chemopreventive in both systems and the leading role of sinigrin in these effects

El aprendizaje-servicio como metodología de acceso a la innovación educativa

In the training of future teachers, access to educational innovation proposals is in line with the academic and theoretical framework, and it is also one of the aspects most demanded by university students. Service-learning provides an ideal methodological framework from which to access innovative educational practices such as learning communities. Through a questionnaire, this study examined students’ evaluation of their service-learning experience at three stages: before starting the service-learning, during the process and at the end of the activity. The results show the suitability of this methodology to access innovative practices of relevance in the academic and professionaltraining of university students.En la formación de los futuros maestros el acceso a propuestas de innovación educativa es coherente con el marco académico y teórico además de ser una de los aspectos más demandados por el alumnado universitario. El aprendizaje-servicio proporciona un marco metodológico ideal desde el que acceder a prácticas educativas innovadoras como son las comunidades de aprendizaje. A través de un cuestionario se evaluó la valoración que el alumnado hace de su experiencia de aprendizaje-servicio en los momentos previos al mismo, durante el proceso y al finalizar dicha actividad. Los resultados muestran lo apropiado de esta metodología para acceder a prácticas innovadoras de relevancia en la formación académica y profesional del alumnado universitario

Uma abordagem histórico-jurídica do processo de normalização da educação física no currículo da escola primária durante o período democrático espanhol

Resumen: Introducción: El sistema educativo español ha sufrido un proceso de reconversión educativa donde se diferencian tres períodos distintos de cambios desde la entrada de la democracia. Uno coyuntural centrado en el cambio de paradigma, otro estructural donde se modifica el currículum tradicional y por último, una fase donde las adaptaciones en la educación son dictadas por las exigencias de un mercado globalizado. Por su parte y de forma paralela, la asignatura de Educación Física (EF) y los docentes especializados en esta área han tenido su propio proceso de normalización y reconocimiento con el resto de materias escolares y de titulaciones universitarias relacionadas con la docencia de Educación Primaria. Método: Este estudio de investigación se fundamenta en una búsqueda de la literatura, donde se llevará a cabo un análisis crítico documental de la literatura histórico-legal relacionada con el área de EF y con su evolución dentro del currículum de Educación Primaria durante el período democrático español. Resultados y discusión: Entre los resultados se evidencia que, aunque su integración ha tenido altibajos, en la actualidad, el área de EF comparte el mismo estatus normativo y académico que el resto de disciplinas universitarias y de asignaturas de carácter curricular. Conclusiones: No obstante, aún le quedan espacios sin cubrir dentro de su propio proceso de normalización y un horizonte lleno de retos pendientes en los que se espera mucho de ella con respecto al nuevo paradigma educativo, es decir, el de una educación plena e inclusiva de todo el alumnado.Abstract: Introduction: The Spanish education system has undergone a process of educational reconversion in which three distinct periods of change can be distinguished since the advent of democracy. One of these is a conjunctural one centred on the change of paradigm, another structural one in which the traditional curriculum is modified and finally, a phase in which adaptations in education are dictated by the demands of a globalised market. At the same time, the subject of Physical Education (PE) and the teachers specialising in this area have undergone their own process of standardisation and recognition with the rest of the school subjects and university degrees related to Primary Education teaching. Method: This research study is based on a literature search, where a critical documentary analysis of the historical-legal literature related to the area of PE and its evolution within the Primary Education curriculum during the Spanish democratic period will be carried out. Results and discussion: The results show that, although its integration has had ups and downs, at present, the area of PE shares the same regulatory and academic status as the rest of university disciplines and curricular subjects. Conclusions: Nevertheless, there are still spaces to be filled within its own process of normalisation and a horizon full of pending challenges in which much is expected of it with respect to the new educational paradigm, i.e. that of a full and inclusive education for all students.Resumo: Introdução: O sistema educativo espanhol sofreu um processo de reconversão educacional em que se podem distinguir três períodos distintos de mudança desde o advento da democracia. Uma delas é uma conjuntura centrada na mudança de paradigma, outra estrutural em que o currículo tradicional é modificado e, finalmente, uma fase em que as adaptações na educação são ditadas pelas exigências de um mercado globalizado. Ao mesmo tempo, a disciplina de Educação Física (EP) e os professores especializados nesta área passaram pelo seu próprio processo de normalização e reconhecimento com o resto das disciplinas escolares e graus universitários relacionados com o ensino do Ensino Primário. Método: Este estudo de investigação baseia-se numa pesquisa bibliográfica, onde será realizada uma análise documental crítica da literatura histórico-legal relacionada com a área da Educação Física e a sua evolução no âmbito do currículo do Ensino Primário durante o período democrático espanhol. Resultados e discussão: Os resultados mostram que, embora a sua integração tenha tido altos e baixos, actualmente, a área de EP partilha o mesmo estatuto regulamentar e académico que o resto das disciplinas e disciplinas curriculares universitárias. Conclusões: No entanto, há ainda espaços a preencher no seu próprio processo de normalização e um horizonte cheio de desafios pendentes em que muito se espera dele em relação ao novo paradigma educacional, ou seja, o de uma educação plena e inclusiva para todos os estudantes

Smart biosensing device for tracking fish behaviour

Biosensor technology for tracking individual challenged fish behaviour has the potential to revolutionize aquaculture, allowing farmers and breeders to orientate selective breeding towards more robust and efficient fish or improve culture conditions for a more sustainable and ethical production. The proposed solution within the AQUAEXCEL2020 EU project is a stand-alone, small and light (1 g) device (AEFishBIT), based on a tri-axial accelerometer and a microprocessor. It is externally attached to the operculum to monitor physical activity by mapping accelerations in x- and y-axes, while operculum beats (z-axis) serve as a measurement of respiratory frequency. The conducted operculum attachment protocol does not show signs of tissue damage or growth impairment in active feeding gilthead sea bream. AEFishBIT offers a wide range of new information based on individual behaviour, allowing to point out the asynchrony of movements as an indirect measure of aging and adaptability to farming environment, as well as to discriminate different coping behaviour (proactive or reactive) of gilthead sea bream challenged with low water oxygen concentrations. AEFishBIT also provides reliable information of disease outcome in fish parasitized with an intestinal myxozoan, emerging as a powerful tool for sensing the quality of the environment and improving selective breeding protocols.The study has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, GA no 652831 (AQUAEXCEL2020)

Antigenotoxicidad y citotoxicidad de alimentos

Los alimentos de origen vegetal son unos firmes candidatos para ser considerados como alimentos funcionales y jugar un papel en prevención y tratamiento de enfermedades degenerativa. Se han estudiado aceites de uso alimentario y esenciales, bebidas, plantas medicinales, plantas de consumo como Borago officinalis, Brassica carinata o Raphanus sativus cuya capacidad para acumular metales es bien conocida, y ciertos componentes activos de los alimentos citados. Se ha utilizado el sistema de Mutaciones y Recombinaciones Somáticas en células en proliferación de discos imaginales alares de Drosophila melanogaster (SMART) para determinar su seguridad alimentaria así como su papel en la protección del daño de ADN. Al mismo tiempo se analiza la potencia tumoricida en líneas celulares promielocíticas humanas (HL- 60) de las sustancias que previamente han sido detectadas como antimutagénicas frente a genotoxinas de tipo oxidativo. Se relacionan las respuestas antimutagénicas y citotóxicas de las sustancias ensayadas con su contenido en fenoles, glucosinolatos e isotiocianato

Stability and Reversible Oxidation of Sub-Nanometric Cu5 Metal Clusters: Integrated Experimental Study and Theoretical Modeling**

Sub-nanometer metal clusters have special physical and chemical properties, significantly different from those of nanoparticles. However, there is a major concern about their thermal stability and susceptibility to oxidation. In situ X-ray Absorption spectroscopy and Near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy results reveal that supported Cu5 clusters are resistant to irreversible oxidation at least up to 773 K, even in the presence of 0.15 mbar of oxygen. These experimental findings can be formally described by a theoretical model which combines dispersion-corrected DFT and first principles thermochemistry revealing that most of the adsorbed O2 molecules are transformed into superoxo and peroxo species by an interplay of collective charge transfer within the network of Cu atoms and large amplitude “breathing” motions. A chemical phase diagram for Cu oxidation states of the Cu5-oxygen system is presented, clearly different from the already known bulk and nano-structured chemistry of Cu

Screening risk assessment tools for assessing the environmental impact in an abandoned pyritic mine in Spain

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of the Total Environment 409.4 (2011): 692-703 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.10.056This paper describes a new methodology for assessing site-specific environmental impact of contaminants. The proposed method integrates traditional risk assessment approaches with real and variable environmental characteristics at a local scale. Environmental impact on selected receptors was classified for each environmental compartment into 5 categories derived from the whole (chronic and acute) risk assessment using 8 risk levels. Risk levels were established according to three hazard quotients (HQs) which represented the ratio of exposure to acute and chronic toxicity values. This tool allowed integrating in only one impact category all the elements involved in the standard risk assessment. The methodology was applied to an abandoned metal mine in Spain, where high levels of As, Cd, Zn and Cu were detected. Risk affecting potential receptors such as aquatic and soil organisms and terrestrial vertebrates were assessed. Whole results showed that impact to the ecosystem is likely high and further investigation or remedial actions are necessary. Some proposals to refine the risk assessment for a more realistic diagnostic are included.This work has been financed by Madrid Community through EIADES Project S-505/AMB/0296, and by Spanish MinistryfEducation and Science, project CTM-2007-66401-CO2/TECN

Supplemental Information 3: Dataset including repeated measures for the carotenoid-supplement experiment. The dataset excludes birds receiving diquat (see Methods). Description of variables inserted as comments on variable names.

Colorful ornaments have been the focus of sexual selection studies since the work of Darwin. Yellow to red coloration is often produced by carotenoid pigments. Different hypotheses have been formulated to explain the evolution of these traits as signals of individual quality. Many of these hypotheses involve the existence of a signal production cost. The carotenoids necessary for signaling can only be obtained from food. In this line, carotenoid-based signals could reveal an individual's capacity to find sufficient dietary pigments. However, the ingested carotenoids are often yellow and became transformed by the organism to produce pigments of more intense color (red ketocarotenoids). Biotransformation should involve oxidation reactions, although the exact mechanism is poorly known. We tested the hypothesis that carotenoid biotransformation could be costly because a certain level of oxidative stress is required to correctly perform the conversion. The carotenoid-based signals could thus reveal the efficiency of the owner in successfully managing this challenge. In a bird with ketocarotenoid-based ornaments (the red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa), the availability of different carotenoids in the diet (i.e. astaxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein) and oxidative stress were manipulated. The carotenoid composition was analyzed and quantified in the ornaments, blood, liver and fat. A number of oxidative stress biomarkers were also measured in the same tissues. First, we found that color and pigment levels in the ornaments depended on food levels of those carotenoids used as substrates in biotransformation. Second, we found that birds exposed to mild levels of a free radical generator (diquat) developed redder bills and deposited higher amounts of ketocarotenoids (astaxanthin) in ornaments. Moreover, the same diquat-exposed birds also showed a weaker resistance to hemolysis when their erythrocytes were exposed to free radicals, with females also enduring higher oxidative damage in plasma lipids. Thus, higher color production would be linked to higher oxidative stress, supporting the biotransformation hypothesis. The recent discovery of an avian oxygenase enzyme involved in converting yellow to red carotenoids may support our results. Nonetheless, the effect could also depend on the abundance of specific substrate carotenoids in the diet. Birds fed with proportionally higher levels of zeaxanthin showed the reddest ornaments with the highest astaxanthin concentrations. Moreover, these birds tended to show the strongest diquat-mediated effect. Therefore, in the evolution of carotenoid-based sexual signals, a biotransformation cost derived from maintaining a well-adjusted redox machinery could coexist with a cost linked to carotenoid acquisition and allocation (i.e. a resource allocation trade-off).Esther García-de Blas was supported by a predoctoral grant (JAE-PRE) from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) co-financed by Fondo Social Europeo (EU). This study was funded by Consejería de Educación y Ciencia, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla la Mancha (project ref.: PII1I09-0271-5037) and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (CGL2009-10883-C02-02 and CGL2015-69338-C2-2-P) from the Spanish Government.Peer Reviewe