Ensayo de fertilización foliar sobre regenerado de pino rodeno en Cuéllar (Segovia)

El regenerado de Pinus pinaster Ait. en la tierra de pinares segoviana presenta frecuentemente, en estado de monte bravo, un desarrollo deficiente de la guía y de las ramas del tercio superior de la copa. El objetivo del presente estudio es tratar de determinar si este deficiente desarrollo está relacionado con alguna carencia nutricional. Para ello se realiza un ensayo de fertilización foliar y se analiza su influencia sobre la Longitud de las acículas y la Longitud de los ramillos desarrollados en el periodo vegetativo siguiente a la fertilización. Se consideran cuatro localizaciones diferentes y tres tratamientos distintos (Testigo, T, sin fertilización; fertilización simple, F; y fertilización doble, FF)

An optimization tool to design the field of a Solar Power Tower plant allowing heliostats of different sizes

The design of a Solar Power Tower plant involves the optimization of the heliostat field layout. Fields are usually designed to have all heliostats of identical size. Although the use of a single heliostat size has been questioned in the literature, there are no tools to design fields with heliostats of several sizes at the same time. In this paper, the problem of optimizing the heliostat field layout of a system with heliostats of different sizes is addressed. We present an optimization tool to design solar plants allowing two heliostat sizes. The methodology is illustrated with a particular example considering different heliostat costs.MTM2013-41286-P (Spain) MTM2015-65915-R (Spain) P11-FQM-7603 (Andalucía) TD1207 (EU COST Action

Differential Behavior Between Isolated and Aggregated Rabbit Auricular Chondrocytes on Plastic Surfaces

A knowledge of the behavior of chondrocytes in culture is relevant for tissue engineering. Chondrocytes dedifferentiate to a fibroblast-like phenotype on plastic surfaces. Dedifferentiation is reversible if these cells are then cultured in suspension. In this report a description is given of how when chondrocyte aggregates formed in suspension are next seeded on plastic, most of them attach as round or polygonal cells. This morphological differentiation, with synthesis of type II collagen, is stable for long culture periods. This simple method can be of use as a model for studies of chondrocyte behavior on plastic. The results indicate that in addition to culture conditions, such as cell isolation method or cell density, chondrocyte behavior on plastic depends on the presence of aggregates

Pathogenic A. salmonicida from human patients

The bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida is known since long time as a major fish pathogen unable to grow at 37 °C. However, some cases of human infection by putative mesophilic A. salmonicida have been reported. The goal of the present study is to examine two clinical cases of human infection by A. salmonicida in Spain and to investigate the pathogenicity in mammals of selected mesophilic A. salmonicida strains. An evaluation of the pathogenicity in a mouse model of clinical and environmental A. salmonicida strains was performed. The genomes of the strains were sequenced and analyzed in order to find the virulence determinants of these strains. The experimental infection in mice showed a gradient in the virulence of these strains and that some of them can cause necrotizing fasciitis and tissue damage in the liver. In addition to demonstrating significant genomic diversity among the strains studied, bioinformatics analyses permitted also to shed light on crucial elements for the virulence of the strains, like the presence of a type III secretion system in the one that caused the highest mortality in the experimental infection. Clinicians and microbiologists should consider these results for the inclusion of A. salmonicida in diagnosis tests since it is now clear that some mesophilic strains are also pathogens for humans

Ability emotional intelligence in young people and older adults with and without depressive symptoms, considering gender and educational level

We thank Professors Laura Ros, Rigoberto López, Concha Fabeiro, Diosina Lozano and David Igual for their help in the selection of the sample. Our thanks also go to Dr. Carlos de Cabo for his assistance with the translation of the manuscript.Supplemental information for this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/ peerj.6595#supplemental-information.Background There is little research on differences in Emotional Intelligence (EI) ability at different stages of adult development. The few published studies tend not to use older adult samples. Previous studies on EI ability and age have shown contradictory results. Our main objective was to evaluate results in EI ability across different stages of adult development, taking into account gender, depressive symptoms, and educational level. Methods We interviewed 166 participants (108 women), 66 of whom were aged 18–30 years, 53 aged 31–60 years, and 40 aged 61–76 years. All were either working or enrolled in colleges at the time of the study. The assessment tools used were the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), a test that assesses performance-based EI, and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, a tool to evaluate depressive symptoms. Results Young people, women, and participants with a higher educational level achieved higher scores on the MSCEIT. Additionally, depressive symptomatology was only partially associated with the MSCEIT (i.e., with the using emotions branch). However, a subsequent joint analysis of the independent effects of variables age, gender, educational level, and depressive symptomatology and their interactions on MSCEIT total suggests that only educational level and depressive symptomatology were associated with EI ability, with the direct relationship between age and gender with MSCEIT disappearing. Additionally, our study indicated an interaction effect between age and depressive symptoms, showing that participants in age cohorts 18–30 and 31–60 and without depressive symptoms have a higher EI ability. Discussion Our study suggests that the direct effects of age and gender on EI ability across adult development, using a wide age range, can change or disappear when effects of educational level and depressive symptomatology, and their interactions, are controlled for. Our results also suggest that EI ability is a protective factor against depression in some age cohorts. This novel aspect of our study does not appear in the previous literature. However, prospective studies are needed to verify these findings and examine whether other psychological variables could determine the relations between age, gender and EI ability across adult development.This work was supported by a project grant awarded to Pablo Fernández-Berrocal from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (PSI2017-84170-R). This work was also supported by the project Innovation and Development Agency of Andalusia, Spain (grant number SEJ-07325) and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (grant number PSI2017-84170-R). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Effects of Extracellular Matrix on the Morphology and Behaviour of Rabbit Auricular Chondrocytes in Culture

Isolated chondrocytes dedifferentiate to a fibroblast-like shape on plastic substrata and proliferate extensively, but rarely form nodules. However, when dissociation is not complete and some cartilage remnants are included in the culture, proliferation decreases and cells grow in a reticular pattern with numerous nodules, which occasionally form small cartilage-like fragments. In an attempt to reproduce this stable chondrogenic state, we added a cartilage protein extract, a sugar extract, and hyaluronan to the medium of previously dedifferentiated chondrocytes. When protein extract was added, many cartilaginous nodules appeared. Hyaluronan produced changes in cell phenotype and behaviour, but not nodule formation. Protein extract has positive effects on the differentiation of previously proliferated chondrocytes and permits nodule formation and the extensive production of type-II collagen. A comparison with incompletely dissociated chondrocyte cultures suggests that the presence of some living cells anchored to their natural extracellular matrix provides some important additional factors for the phenotypical stability of chondrocytes on plastic surfaces. In order to elucidate if it is possible that the incidence of apoptosis is related to the results, we also characterized the molecular traits of apoptosis

Anderson Photon-Phonon Colocalization in Certain Random Superlattices

Fundamental observations in physics ranging from gravitational wave detection to laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state rely on the interaction between the optical and the mechanical degrees of freedom. A key parameter to engineer this interaction is the spatial overlap between the two fields, optimized in carefully designed resonators on a case-by-case basis. Disorder is an alternative strategy to confine light and sound at the nanoscale. However, it lacks an a priori mechanism guaranteeing a high degree of colocalization due to the inherently complex nature of the underlying interference processes. Here, we propose a way to address this challenge by using GaAs/AlAs vertical distributed Bragg reflectors with embedded geometrical disorder. Because of a remarkable coincidence in the physical parameters governing light and motion propagation in these two materials, the equations for both longitudinal acoustic waves and normal-incidence light become practically equivalent for excitations of the same wavelength. This guarantees spatial overlap between the electromagnetic and displacement fields of specific photon-phonon pairs, leading to strong light-matter interaction. In particular, a statistical enhancement in the vacuum optomechanical coupling rate, go, is found, making this system a promising candidate to explore Anderson localization of high frequency (∼20 GHz) phonons enabled by cavity optomechanics. The colocalization effect shown here unlocks the access to unexplored localization phenomena and the engineering of light-matter interactions mediated by Anderson-localized states

Estudio de la biocompatibilidad in vitro de formulaciones acrílicas autocurables portadoras de bisfosfonatos de nueva síntesis

En este trabajo se presenta el estudio de la biocompatibilidad in vitro, empleando cultivos celulares de fibroblastos embrionarios humanos, de tres sistemas acrílicos de liberación controlada de bisfosfonatos (BFs). Estos sistemas, basados en metacrilato de metilo (MMA), metacrilato de vitamina E (MVE) y trietilenglicol dimetacrilato (TEGDMA), han sido diseñados para su aplicación en el tratamiento de enfermedades caracterizadas por una elevada resorción osteoclástica. En su preparación se ha empleado un BP comercializado (alendronato; ALN) y dos de nueva síntesis, pertenecientes a la segunda y tercera generaciones, el ácido 1-hidroxi-2-[4-aminofenil]etano-1,1-difosfónico (APBP) y el ácido 1-hidroxi-2-[3-indolil]etano-1,1-difosfónico (IBP), respectivamente. La citotoxicidad de MVE ha sido notablemente inferior a la medida para TEGDMA. La citotoxicidad de APBP e IBP se ha comparado con la de ALN, obteniéndose unos valores para la concentración IC50, de15,56, 9,86 y 6,25 mmol/l para APBP, ALN e IBP, respectivamente. Los niveles de citotoxicidad liberada han sido superiores para la formulación portadora de ALN, situándose a continuación los cementos cargados con IBP y APBP. Cuando los cultivos se han establecido sobre la superficie de las formulaciones, se han detectado unos niveles de proliferación celular y adhesión superiores para los sistemas de liberación de IBP y APBP, siendo además inferior en estos casos la mortalidad celular.This paper reports the in vitro biocompatibility study, using human embryonic fibroblast cultures, of three acrylic systems for controlled release of bisphosphonates (BFs). These systems, that are based on methyl methacrylate (MMA), vitamin E methacrylate (MVE) and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), have been designed for its application in the treatment of pathologies characterized by a high osteoclastic resorption. A commercial BP (alendronate; ALN) and two novel BPs, belonging to the second and third generations, 1-hydroxy-2-[4-aminophenyl]ethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (APBP) and 1-hydroxy-2-[3-indolyl]ethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (IBP), respectively, have been used in their preparation. The cytotoxicity of MVE has been notably lower than that measured for TEGDMA. Cytotoxicity of APBP and IBP was evaluated along with that of ALN, and the following values of the IC50, concentration were obtained for APBP, ALN and IBP respectively: 15.56, 9.86 and 6.25 mmol/l. The cytotoxicity levels obtained from the extracts of the cured systems were higher for the formulation containing ALN, followed by the cements loaded with IBP and APBP. When the cultures were seeded directly on the formulations surface, higher levels of cellular proliferation and adhesion were obtained for the systems containing IBP and APBP, the cellular mortality being also inferior in these cases

Mortality and refusal in the longitudinal 90+project

Attrition is one of the most important threats for longitudinal studies on aging mainly due to refusal and mortality. This study deals with those individuals who were assessed in the base line of 90+ project but died, dropped out or were examined in the follow-up. Participants of the 90+ project baseline consist of a sample of 188 older than 90 years, independent individuals (mean age = 92.9; 67 men and 121 women) living in the community (n = 76) or in residences (n = 112). They were assessed through the European Survey on Aging Protocol (ESAP) by collecting anthropometric, health and life styles, bio-behavioral, psychological and social data. After 6-14 months from the baseline, 55% individuals were re-assessed, 11% died and 34% dropped out for several reasons. Comparisons between the individuals deceased, interviewed and those who dropped out yielded significant differences mainly due to contextual variables. The mortality rate of participants living in residences is three times greater than those of participants living in the community. Trying to determine the differences between these three groups due to bio-psycho-social variables, we found that regular physical activity, mental status, leisure activities, fitness, perceived control and openness assessed at the baseline differentiate our three groups. Finally, 90% of those individuals who died were identified at the baseline as >non successful agers>, while more than a half of those who participated and a third of the non-participants were identified as >successful agers>. It can be concluded that among those independent but very old people, mortality is less important than willing to participate and contextual, behavioral and psychological factors are relevant for distinguishing mortality, survival and participation.Peer Reviewe

Some histopathological and clinical correlations in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an important health problem that causes high mortality and morbidity. Correlations between some clinical and histopathological parameters were studied in 37 oral SCC. Some interesting aspects in oral SCC arising from precancerous lesions were found such as smaller size and a lower TNM stage at the moment of diagnosis. Histological and clinical differences were also found between tumors invading deep tissues by little groups of dissociated malignant cells and those invading by big masses of malignant cells. The possible significance of the intensity of peritumoral eosinophilic infiltrate was also studied.Le carcinome squameux de la cavité orale constitue un problème important de santé, qui est responsable d’une mortalité et d’une morbidité élevées. Nous avons étudié 37 carcinomes squameux de la cavité orale à travers un suivi clinique et une étude des corrélations entre les variables cliniques et histopathologiques. Nous avons relevé différents aspects intéressants en ce qui concerne les carcinomes squameux de la cavité orale qui procédaient de lésions précancéreuses comme leur petite dimention et le bas stade TNM au moment du diagnostic. Nous avons également trouvé des différences cliniques et histopathologiques entre les tumeurs qui envahissent les tissus adjecents en petits groupes et ceux qui le font en grandes masses de cellules malignes. Finalement, nous avons étudié la signification possible de l’intensité de l’infiltrat à eosinophiles peritumoral