Genome size unaffected by moderate changes in climate and phosphorus availability in Mediterranean plants

Nuclear DNA amount has been assessed in a set of 6 Mediterranean plant species including subshrubs, shrubs and trees (Dorycnium pentaphyllum Scop., Erica multiflora L., Fumana ericoides (L.) Webb, Globularia alypum L., Pinus halepensis Mill and Rosmarinus officinalis L.). Genome size values have been assessed by flow cytometry from plants growing in their natural habitats, in plots with a particular experimental design to measure the effects of drought and warming and also with different phosphorus (P) concentration in soil. 2C values have been fairly constant in all the species studied under all conditions. These results, which provide first records of DNA content in all the studied species except for P. halepensis, suggest that moderate changes in climate such as a 0.73°C warming or a drought consisting of 19% decrease in soil moisture on an average of 7 years and the consequent changes in the soil availability of such an essential element as P (ranging from 80 to 160 g/g) do not affect genome size stability, at least not by producing rapid and significant variations.Key words: C-value, drought, Mediterranean plants, nuclear DNA amount, phosphorus, warming

Students' Perceptions of Teacher Training for Inclusive and Sustainable Education : From University Classrooms to School Practices

Teachers are the pillar for the development of inclusion. Hence, their initial training becomes a matter of relevance for the success of creating inclusive schools. This work contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 4: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The other objectives were to delimit the competences in inclusive education for teachers and analyse the perception of future teachers in the acquisition of IE competences in the context of university classrooms and internship centres. This research was carried out with 315 students from Catalan public universities through a questionnaire to assess their perception of these competencies. The results show that competences related to leadership in educational environments, inclusive values, or the identification of the students' abilities are being developed in internship centres. However, the university classroom context lead to the development of competences related to cooperative learning and assessment. In addition, there are significant differences between students who follow specialised teacher training in special needs and those who do not follow it. In conclusion, there is a need to extend specific training to all students and for a greater interrelationship between the training for developing competences in both contexts

La vitrificación: un ejemplo de sostenibilidad ambiental

The accumulation of urban sewage sludge is an environmental problem to which solutions must be sought. One of the ideas proposed in this paper is to turn it into glass. Thus, from a 'useless' product we obtain a new, more valuable material. This solution addresses two environmental aspects and a conceptual one, because in order to understand the process it will be necessary to introduce new concepts related to crystalline and amorphous material, and this allows us to make a comparison with glass formation in natur

Differentiation between copal and amber by their structure and thermal behaviour

The relationships between the polymerization related to structure and the composition of different types of natural resins were determined. Analyses were carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential thermal analysis–thermogravimetry (DTA-TG) and hot stage microscopy (HSM). Copal specimens were collected from the Mai-Ndombe Lake, Democratic Republic of Congo, and amber pieces that came from Bitterfeld, Germany, and from Kaliningrad, Russia. FTIRspectra of copal show a vibrational band at 1643 cm−1 (C=O stretching) attributed to communic acids, while amber shows a band at 1735 cm−1 associated with ester-group vibrations and a shoulder at about 3340 cm−1, suggesting partial oxidization.DTA shows the main exothermic peak, related to the combustion, at 546–552 °C in amber and at 518 °C in copal. The derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) peaks vary in the different resin types; in amber, they occur at 333–335, 401–404 and 548–555 °C and are related to mass losses of 31, 26 and 39 mass%, respectively; copal peaks are at 394 and 507 °C, with mass losses of 71 and 27 mass%, respectively. In copal, hot stage microscopy (HSM) shows the start of sintering at 131 °C, followed by an expansion produced by the material decomposition and the generation of gases that cannot be released because of the material plastic behaviour. Finally, the increase in pressure produces an explosion that results in a lower viscosity of the liquid, which at this point can no longer support the internal pressure of gases. In amber samples, a smaller decrease in viscosity is observed and the start of sintering occurs at 150 °C with no significant change in their morphology.</p

Los minerales gema: una propuesta práctica.

The main objective of this practical session is to introduce the student in the study of physical properties of minerals and specifically optical and mechanical properties. This is one of the most interesting fields in Mineralogy and we can use these properties to obtain the mineral identification. Activities that we propose have the study of gem-minerals as a basic objective that is the minerals that according to special characteristics and after cutting by man we use as a precious stones or gems. All techniques that we use are not destructives that is without any modification in the specimen, a very important question when we use minerals as gemstones. The practical session are distributed in six working groups with a reduced number of students (2-3), using this system we can combine the necessary equipment in the best possible way. Main objectives of the practical session are: showing one of the practical uses of minerals and the use of special techniques for to obtain the identification of gem-minerals. Also is very important to compare the theoretical concepts with the practical applications

The Importance of Mineralogical Knowledge in the Sustainability of Artisanal Gold Mining: A Mid-South Peru Case

Mineralogy and gold processing techniques from several mining areas of the Nazca-Ocoña gold belt, Mid-South Peru, were investigated to assess the efficiency of gold extraction methods in relation to their mineralogy. The deposits from this belt are intrusion gold related to mineralization in quartz veins. Native gold occurs as micrometric grains encapsulated in pyrite and in minor amounts in other sulfides and quartz. Electrum is found mainly in fractures of pyrite and attains up to 35 wt. % Ag. In addition to these occurrences, gold tellurides also occur and they are abundant in San Luis. Gold processing is carried out by amalgamation with mercury and/or cyanidation. The comparison of the gold grade in the mineralizations and in the residual tailings indicates that a significant amount of gold is not recovered using the mercury amalgamation process and also, in the case of the gold recovery by cyanidation, except when cement was added to the cyanide solution. This was due to an increase in the pH that favours the dissolution of the gold matrix. In the cyanidation process carried out in tailings previously treated with mercury, part of the mercury retained in them is released to the atmosphere or to the cyanidation fluid

Obtención de vidrio a partir de residuos de la minería del estaño en Bolivia

Manufacturing of glass from tin mining tailings in Bolivia Tailings from mining activities in Bolivia represent an environmental problem. In the vicinity of the tin mines of Llallagua,Potosí department, there are large dumps and tailings. We present a study of the use of these wastes as raw materials for the manufacture of glass. This procedure aims to contribute to environmental remediation of mining areas through the vitrification, a process which offers an alternative for stabilization of hazardous waste. In addition, the marketing of the obtained product would provide an additional income to the mining areas. For this study three samples of mining waste, with grain size between sand and silt, were used. The chemical composition of these raw materials, determined by X-ray fluorescence, is granitic, with high contents of heavy metals. On the basis of its composition, glass were made from silica glass by adding CaCO3 and Na2CO3. The thermal cycle has been determined from TDA. Tg values of glass range from 626º to 709 °C. Leaching tests of the obtained glasses confirm their capacity to retain heavy metals

First genome size assessments in Carduncellus and its related genera Femeniasia and Phonus (Asteraceae, Cardueae), with data on 21 taxa

Genome size of 18 species of the genus Carduncellus, two species of the related genus Phonusand the monotypic genus Femeniasia (F. balearica) has been assessed by flow cytometry for the first time. Ploidy levels were assigned using genome size data together with previously reported chromosome counts. A phylogenetic framework was built to visualize how cytogenetic traits distributed across taxa. The results confirmed three ploidy levels (2x, 4x and 6x), with a predominance of diploids. The 2C values ranged from 3.24 pg in Carduncellus calvusto 11.16 pg in C. erio-cephalus, whereas monoploid genome size (1Cx) ranged from 1.29 pg in C. duvauxii (4x)to 2.30 pg in Phonus rhiphaeus (2x). The mean 1Cx for tetraploids was lower than for diploids. For each ploidy level, genome size values of Carduncellus, Femeniasia and Phonus were found to be higher than those of Carthamus. This result is consistent with a trend frequently observed in plants, of higher genome sizes in long life cycle taxa compared to short-lived relative

Caracterización de los lodos de la depuradora de Sadat (Minufiya, Egipto) para la obtención de un material vitrocerámico

Muchos problemas ambientales actuales están relacionados con los desechos industriales y municipales (lodos de depuradora, etc.), debidos al gran volumen que se genera, así como a los elementos peligrosos que incluyen en ellos (metales pesados). Su almacenamiento, tratamiento y transporte conlleva también costos económicos. En Egipto en el año 2002 se generaron de 12 a 15 kg/año por habitante de materia sólida procedente de los lodos de depuradora. En la actualidad, el destino principal de estos lodos es su vertido en el desierto