Conservación frigorífica de pomelos "marsh seedless" y "redblush"

Pomelos "Marsh Seedless" y "Redblush", recolectados en Diciembre, con vistas a evitar riesgos de heladas, se han almacenado a 10, 5 y 2ºC. Las temperaturas de 5 y 2ºC han producido lesiones por frío, fundamentalmente picado, mostrándose más resistente el Redblush. El calentamiento intermitente (18 horas a 20ºC/semana) y la conservación en régimen variable de temperaturas (1 semana a 10ºC por cada 3 semanas a 5ºC), se han mostrado eficaces en la reducción de los daños por frío. En este sentido ha logrado, también, efectos positivos, la utilización de cera al agua con 6% de polietileno y 4% de colofonia. En este trabajo se estudian además, las variaciones del peso, textura, color y acidez de los frutos, en las distintas condiciones de almacenamiento

Evolución de las características físico-químicas durante el desarrollo del melocotón cv. Queen Crest. Respuesta a los tratamientos con etileno.

En este trabajo se han evaluado diversos parámetros físico-químicos a lo largo del desarrollo de melocotones cv. "Queen Crest". Se observó una disminución paulatina en el contenido en clorofila, mientras que sólidos solubles y textura apenas han manifestado cambios significativos. En la fase de maduración, los parámetros que han reflejado unos cambios más notables han sido, contenido en antocianos, color y acidez. Los tratamientos con etileno (50 ppm) aceleran cambios en textura, color y sabor, lo que sugiere que su aplicación en frutos recogidos con anticipación, podría adelantar la presencia de estos en el mercado aún con tamaño inferior al de los que permanecen más tiempo en árbol

Use of Phragmites australis for controlling phospohrus contamination in anthropogenic wetland ecosystems

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in J. M. Carricondo, J. V. Oliver-Villanueva, J. V. Turégano, J. A. González & J. Mengual (2021) Use of Phragmites australis for controlling phosphorus contamination in anthropogenic wetland ecosystems, Environmental Technology, 42:19, 3055-3064, DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2020.1720311 [copyright Taylor & Francis], available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09593330.2020.1720311[EN] Continuous phosphorus discharges in bodies of water, generated by human activities, such as agriculture, domestic effluences or wastewater from industrial processes, produce contaminated water and eutrophication. For this reason, efficient and low-cost systems that can remove phosphorus from contaminated water are necessary. In addition, it is important to generate renewable energy such as the energy produced in biomass power plants, taking advantage of the available biomass waste in each place. When producing this renewable energy, the resulting ash is a residue that can be used for phosphorus removal by adsorption processes. Moreover, according to the concept of the circular economy, the ash waste generated in this bio energy process should be reduced as much as possible. One of the advantages of this research being that surplus phosphorus-laden ash can be reused as fertilizer in agricultural fields. Considering this, the efficiency of reed ash (RA) (Phragmites australis) has been analysed in batch experiments, as well as the effect of several parameters on the removal of phosphate, such as contact time, phosphate-ash ratio, ash dose and temperature. Significant results obtained show that RA can be used to improve water quality.Carricondo, JM.; Oliver Villanueva, JV.; Turegano Pastor, JV.; González Romero, JA.; Mengual Cuquerella, J. (2021). Use of Phragmites australis for controlling phospohrus contamination in anthropogenic wetland ecosystems. Environmental Technology. 42(19):3055-3064. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2020.1720311S305530644219Rodrigo, M. A., Valentín, A., Claros, J., Moreno, L., Segura, M., Lassalle, M., & Vera, P. (2018). Assessing the effect of emergent vegetation in a surface-flow constructed wetland on eutrophication reversion and biodiversity enhancement. Ecological Engineering, 113, 74-87. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.11.021Ahmad, S. S., Reshi, Z. A., Shah, M. A., Rashid, I., Ara, R., & Andrabi, S. M. A. (2014). Phytoremediation Potential ofPhragmites australisin Hokersar Wetland - A Ramsar Site of Kashmir Himalaya. International Journal of Phytoremediation, 16(12), 1183-1191. doi:10.1080/15226514.2013.821449Chandra, R., & Yadav, S. (2011). Phytoremediation of CD, CR, CU, MN, FE, NI, PB and ZN from Aqueous Solution UsingPhragmites Cummunis, Typha AngustifoliaandCyperus Esculentus. 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Managing Agricultural Phosphorus for Protection of Surface Waters: Issues and Options. Journal of Environmental Quality, 23(3), 437-451. doi:10.2134/jeq1994.00472425002300030006xMaiga Y, von Sperling M, Mihelcic J. Constructed Wetlands. In: Rose JB and Jiménez-Cisneros B (eds) Global Water Pathogen Project. http://www.waterpathogens.org (Haas C, Mihelcic JR and Verbyla ME) (eds) Part 4 Management Of Risk from Excreta and Wastewater). http://www.waterpathogen 2017.Vymazal, J., & Březinová, T. (2016). Accumulation of heavy metals in aboveground biomass of Phragmites australis in horizontal flow constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment: A review. Chemical Engineering Journal, 290, 232-242. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2015.12.108Zhang, Y., Song, C., Ji, L., Liu, Y., Xiao, J., Cao, X., & Zhou, Y. (2018). Cause and effect of N/P ratio decline with eutrophication aggravation in shallow lakes. Science of The Total Environment, 627, 1294-1302. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.327Rai, P. K. (2008). Heavy Metal Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems and its Phytoremediation using Wetland Plants: An ecosustainable approach. International Journal of Phytoremediation, 10(2), 133-160. doi:10.1080/15226510801913918Meuleman, A. F. M., Beekman, J. P., & Verhoeven, J. T. A. (2002). Nutrient retention and nutrient-use efficiency in Phragmites australis stands after wasterwater application. Wetlands, 22(4), 712-721. doi:10.1672/0277-5212(2002)022[0712:nranue]2.0.co;2Važić, T., Svirčev, Z., Dulić, T., Krstić, K., & Obreht, I. (2015). Potential for energy production from reed biomass in the Vojvodina region (north Serbia). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 48, 670-680. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2015.04.034Matsumura, Y., Minowa, T., & Yamamoto, H. (2005). Amount, availability, and potential use of rice straw (agricultural residue) biomass as an energy resource in Japan. Biomass and Bioenergy, 29(5), 347-354. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2004.06.015Kumari, M., & Tripathi, B. D. (2015). Efficiency of Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia for heavy metal removal from wastewater. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 112, 80-86. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.10.034Boluda, R., Andreu, V., Gilabert, M. A., & Sobrino, P. (1993). Relation between reflectance of rice crop and indices of pollution by heavy metals in soils of albufera natural park (Valencia, Spain). Soil Technology, 6(4), 351-363. doi:10.1016/0933-3630(93)90025-aYadav, D., Kapur, M., Kumar, P., & Mondal, M. K. (2015). Adsorptive removal of phosphate from aqueous solution using rice husk and fruit juice residue. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 94, 402-409. doi:10.1016/j.psep.2014.09.005UGURLU, A. (1998). Phosphorus removal by fly ash. Environment International, 24(8), 911-918. doi:10.1016/s0160-4120(98)00079-8Abbas, M. N. (2014). Phosphorus removal from wastewater using rice husk and subsequent utilization of the waste residue. Desalination and Water Treatment, 55(4), 970-977. doi:10.1080/19443994.2014.922494El-Sobky, E.-S. E. A. (2017). Effect of burned rice straw, phosphorus and nitrogen fertilization on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). Annals of Agricultural Sciences, 62(1), 113-120. doi:10.1016/j.aoas.2017.05.007Smol, M., Kulczycka, J., Henclik, A., Gorazda, K., & Wzorek, Z. (2015). The possible use of sewage sludge ash (SSA) in the construction industry as a way towards a circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 95, 45-54. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.02.051Mor, S., Chhoden, K., & Ravindra, K. (2016). Application of agro-waste rice husk ash for the removal of phosphate from the wastewater. Journal of Cleaner Production, 129, 673-680. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.03.088Seliem, M. K., Komarneni, S., & Abu Khadra, M. R. (2016). Phosphate removal from solution by composite of MCM-41 silica with rice husk: Kinetic and equilibrium studies. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 224, 51-57. doi:10.1016/j.micromeso.2015.11.011Ahmaruzzaman, M. (2010). A review on the utilization of fly ash. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 36(3), 327-363. doi:10.1016/j.pecs.2009.11.003Langmuir, I. (1916). THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF SOLIDS AND LIQUIDS. PART I. SOLIDS. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 38(11), 2221-2295. doi:10.1021/ja02268a002Chen, Y., Wang, F., Duan, L., Yang, H., & Gao, J. (2016). Tetracycline adsorption onto rice husk ash, an agricultural waste: Its kinetic and thermodynamic studies. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 222, 487-494. doi:10.1016/j.molliq.2016.07.090Ma, Z., Li, Q., Yue, Q., Gao, B., Li, W., Xu, X., & Zhong, Q. (2011). Adsorption removal of ammonium and phosphate from water by fertilizer controlled release agent prepared from wheat straw. Chemical Engineering Journal, 171(3), 1209-1217. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2011.05.027Vassileva, P., & Voikova, D. (2009). Investigation on natural and pretreated Bulgarian clinoptilolite for ammonium ions removal from aqueous solutions. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 170(2-3), 948-953. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.05.062SHI, Z., LIU, F., & YAO, S. (2011). Adsorptive removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions using activated carbon loaded with Fe(III) oxide. New Carbon Materials, 26(4), 299-306. doi:10.1016/s1872-5805(11)60083-8Wu, Y., Li, X., Yang, Q., Wang, D., Xu, Q., Yao, F., … Huang, X. (2019). Hydrated lanthanum oxide-modified diatomite as highly efficient adsorbent for low-concentration phosphate removal from secondary effluents. Journal of Environmental Management, 231, 370-379. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.10.059Vohla, C., Kõiv, M., Bavor, H. J., Chazarenc, F., & Mander, Ü. (2011). Filter materials for phosphorus removal from wastewater in treatment wetlands—A review. 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Two-channel dansyl/tryptophan emitters with a cholic acid bridge as reporters for local hydrophobicity within supramolecular systems based on bile salts

The aim of the present work is to develop two-channel emitters to probe local hydrophobicity by means of fluorescence quenching within different biomimetic supramolecular environments. To achieve this goal, the dansyl (Dns) and tryptophan (Trp) fluorophores have been covalently attached to cholic acid (CA) in order to ensure simultaneous incorporation of the two emitting units into the same compartment. In principle, the two fluorophores of the synthesized Dns-CA-Trp probes could either exhibit an orthogonal behavior or display excited state interactions. The fluorescence spectra of 3 beta-Dns-CA-Trp showed a residual Trp emission band at ca. 350 nm and an enhanced Dns maximum in the 500-550 nm region. This reveals a partial intramolecular energy transfer, which is consistent with the Dns and Trp singlet energies. Thus, the two photoactive units are not orthogonal; nevertheless, 3 beta-Dns-CA-Trp seems appropriate as a two-channel reporter for the supramolecular systems of interest. Fluorescence quenching of 3 beta-Dns-CA-Trp by iodide (which remains essentially in bulk water) was examined within sodium cholate, sodium taurocholate, sodium deoxycholate and mixed micelles. Interestingly, a decrease in the emission intensity of the two bands was observed with increasing iodide concentrations. The most remarkable effect was observed for mixed micelles, where the quenching rate constants were one order of magnitude lower than in solution. As anticipated, the quenching efficiency by iodide decreased with increasing hydrophobicity of the microenvironment, a trend that can be correlated with the relative accessibility of the probe to the ionic quencher.Financial support from the Spanish Government (CTQ2012-38754-C03-03), Predoctoral FPU fellowship (AP2008-03295), and the Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo Program) is gratefully acknowledged.Gómez Mendoza, M.; Marín García, ML.; Miranda Alonso, MÁ. (2014). Two-channel dansyl/tryptophan emitters with a cholic acid bridge as reporters for local hydrophobicity within supramolecular systems based on bile salts. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry. 12(42):8499-8504. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ob01394hS849985041242Vayá, I., Lhiaubet-Vallet, V., Jiménez, M. C., & Miranda, M. A. (2014). Photoactive assemblies of organic compounds and biomolecules: drug–protein supramolecular systems. Chem. Soc. Rev., 43(12), 4102-4122. doi:10.1039/c3cs60413fGomez-Mendoza, M., Marin, M. L., & Miranda, M. A. (2011). Dansyl Derivatives of Cholic Acid as Tools to Build Speciation Diagrams for Sodium Cholate Aggregation. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2(7), 782-785. doi:10.1021/jz200178rGomez-Mendoza, M., Marin, M. L., & Miranda, M. A. (2012). Dansyl-Labeled Cholic Acid as a Tool To Build Speciation Diagrams for the Aggregation of Bile Acids. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 116(51), 14776-14780. doi:10.1021/jp308624hWaissbluth, O. L., Morales, M. C., & Bohne, C. (2006). Influence of Planarity and Size on Guest Binding with Sodium Cholate Aggregates. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 82(4), 1030. doi:10.1562/2006-02-14-ra-803Rinco, O., Kleinman, M. H., & Bohne, C. (2001). Reactivity of Benzophones in the Different Binding Sites of Sodium Cholate Aggregates. Langmuir, 17(19), 5781-5790. doi:10.1021/la010526cHofmann, A. F. (1999). The Continuing Importance of Bile Acids in Liver and Intestinal Disease. Archives of Internal Medicine, 159(22), 2647. doi:10.1001/archinte.159.22.2647Nuin, E., Gómez-Mendoza, M., Andreu, I., Marin, M. L., & Miranda, M. A. (2012). New Photoactive Compounds To Probe Cholic Acid and Cholesterol inside Mixed Micelles. Organic Letters, 15(2), 298-301. doi:10.1021/ol303201yHammad, M. ., & Müller, B. . (1998). Increasing drug solubility by means of bile salt–phosphatidylcholine-based mixed micelles. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 46(3), 361-367. doi:10.1016/s0939-6411(98)00037-xHammad, M. ., & Müller, B. . (1998). Solubility and stability of tetrazepam in mixed micelles. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 7(1), 49-55. doi:10.1016/s0928-0987(98)00006-2Hammad, M. (1998). Solubility and stability of clonazepam in mixed micelles. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 169(1), 55-64. doi:10.1016/s0378-5173(98)00117-3Hendradi, E., Obata, Y., Isowa, K., Nagai, T., & Takayama, K. (2003). Effect of Mixed Micelle Formulations Including Terpenes on the Transdermal Delivery of Diclofenac. Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 26(12), 1739-1743. doi:10.1248/bpb.26.1739Parsaee, S., Sarbolouki, M. N., & Parnianpour, M. (2002). In-vitro release of diclofenac diethylammonium from lipid-based formulations. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 241(1), 185-190. doi:10.1016/s0378-5173(02)00238-7Yu, J., Zhu, Y., Wang, L., Peng, M., Tong, S., Cao, X., … Xu, X. (2010). Enhancement of oral bioavailability of the poorly water-soluble drug silybin by sodium cholate/phospholipid-mixed micelles. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, 31(6), 759-764. doi:10.1038/aps.2010.55Sznitowska, M., Klunder, M., & Placzek, M. (2008). Paclitaxel Solubility in Aqueous Dispersions and Mixed Micellar Solutions of Lecithin. CHEMICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL BULLETIN, 56(1), 70-74. doi:10.1248/cpb.56.70Nuin, E., Gomez-Mendoza, M., Marin, M. L., Andreu, I., & Miranda, M. A. (2013). Influence of Drug Encapsulation within Mixed Micelles on the Excited State Dynamics and Accessibility to Ionic Quenchers. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 117(32), 9327-9332. doi:10.1021/jp404353uCuquerella, M. C., Rohacova, J., Marin, M. L., & Miranda, M. A. (2010). Stereodifferentiation in fluorescence quenching within cholic acid aggregates. Chemical Communications, 46(27), 4965. doi:10.1039/c0cc00176gWu, J., Liu, W., Ge, J., Zhang, H., & Wang, P. (2011). New sensing mechanisms for design of fluorescent chemosensors emerging in recent years. Chemical Society Reviews, 40(7), 3483. doi:10.1039/c0cs00224kBronshtein, I., Afri, M., Weitman, H., Frimer, A. A., Smith, K. M., & Ehrenberg, B. (2004). Porphyrin Depth in Lipid Bilayers as Determined by Iodide and Parallax Fluorescence Quenching Methods and Its Effect on Photosensitizing Efficiency. Biophysical Journal, 87(2), 1155-1164. doi:10.1529/biophysj.104.041434Rohacova, J., Marin, M. L., Martínez-Romero, A., O’Connor, J.-E., Gomez-Lechon, M. J., Donato, M. T., … Miranda, M. A. (2009). Synthesis of new, UV-photoactive dansyl derivatives for flow cytometric studies on bile acid uptake. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 7(23), 4973. doi:10.1039/b912134jFőrster, T. (1959). 10th Spiers Memorial Lecture. Transfer mechanisms of electronic excitation. Discuss. Faraday Soc., 27(0), 7-17. doi:10.1039/df9592700007Eaton, D. F. (1988). Reference materials for fluorescence measurement. 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Synthesis and chemiluminescent properties of amino-acylated luminol derivatives bearing phosphonium cations

The monitoring of reactive oxygen species in living cells provides valuable information on cell function and performance. Lately, the development of chemiluminescence-based reactive oxygen species monitoring has gained increased attention, due to the advantages posed by chemiluminescence, including its rapid measurement and high sensitivity. In this respect, specific organelle-targeting trackers with strong chemiluminescence performance are of high importance. We herein report the synthesis and chemiluminescence properties of eight novel phosphonium-functionalized amino-acylated luminol and isoluminol derivatives, designed as mitochondriotropic chemiluminescence reactive oxygen species trackers. Three different phosphonium cationic moieties were employed (phenyl, p-tolyl, and cyclohexyl), as well as two alkanoyl chains (hexanoyl and undecanoyl) as bridges/linkers. Synthesis is accomplished via the acylation of the corresponding phthalimides, as phthalhydrazide precursors, followed by hydrazinolysis. This method was chosen because the direct acylation of (iso)luminol was discouraging. The new derivatives’ chemiluminescence was evaluated and compared with that of the parent molecules. A relatively poor chemiluminescence performance was observed for all derivatives, with the isoluminol-based ones being the poorest. This result is mainly attributed to the low yield of the fluorescence species formation during the chemiluminescence oxidation reaction

Quantifying the Production of Fruit-Bearing Trees Using Image Processing Techniques

[EN] In recent years, the growth rate of world agricultural production and crop yields have decreased. Crop irrigation becomes essential in very dry areas and where rainfall is scarce, as in Egypt. Persimmon needs low humidity to obtain an optimal crop. This article proposes the monitoring of its performance, in order to regulate the amount of water needed for each tree at any time. In our work we present a technique that consists of obtaining images of some of the trees with fruit, which are subsequently treated, to obtain reliable harvest data. This technique allows us to have control and predictions of the harvest. Also, we present the results obtained in a first trial, through which we demonstrate the feasibility of using the system to meet the objectives set. We use 5 different trees in our experiment. Their fruit production is different (between 20 and 47kg of fruit). The correlation coefficient of the obtained regression model is 0.97.This work has been partially supported by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR by the Conselleria de Educación, Cultura y Deporte with the Subvenciones para la contratación de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral, grant number APOSTD/2019/04, and by the Cooperativa Agrícola Sant Bernat Coop.V.García, L.; Parra-Boronat, L.; Basterrechea-Chertudi, DA.; Jimenez, JM.; Rocher-Morant, J.; Parra-Boronat, M.; García-Navas, JL.... (2019). Quantifying the Production of Fruit-Bearing Trees Using Image Processing Techniques. IARIA XPS Press. 14-19. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/180619S141

Building a functionalizable, potent chemiluminescent agent: A rational design study on 6,8-substituted luminol derivatives

Luminol is a prominent chemiluminescent (CL) agent, finding applications across numerous fields, including forensics, immunoassays, and imaging. Different substitution patterns on the aromatic ring can enhance or decrease its CL efficiency. We herein report a systematic study on the synthesis and photophysics of all possible 6,8-disubstituted luminol derivatives bearing H, Ph, and/or Me substituents. Their CL responses are monitored at three pH values (8, 10, and 12), thus revealing the architecture with the optimum CL efficiency. The most efficient pattern is used for the synthesis of a strongly CL luminol derivative, bearing a functional group for further, straightforward derivatization. This adduct exhibits an unprecedented increase in chemiluminescence efficiency at pH=12, pH=10, and especially at pH=8 (closer to the biologically-relevant conditions), compared to luminol. Complementary work on the fluorescence of the emissive species, as well as quantum chemistry computations are employed for the rationalization of the observed results

Efficient ultraviolet-light energy dissipation by an aromatic ketone

Experimental evidence on the efficiency of 2,2'4,4'-tetramethoxybenzil for UV-light energy dissipation is provided. This non-phenolic aromatic ketone has a low energy triplet which quickly decays to the ketone ground state, thus avoiding the generation of undesirable reactive species.El Moncef, Abdelkarim, [email protected] ; Cuquerella Alabort, Maria Consuelo, [email protected] ; Zaballos Garcia, Elena, [email protected] ; Ramirez de Arellano Sanchez, Maria del Carmen, [email protected] ; Stiriba, Salah Eddine, [email protected] ; Perez Prieto, Julia, [email protected]

Design of a WSN for smart irrigation in citrus plots with fault-tolerance and energy-saving algorithms

[EN] Wireless sensor networks are widely used for monitoring different processes, including agriculture, in order to reach sustainability. One of the keys to sustainable crops is water saving. In particular, saving water is extremely important in arid and semiarid regions. In those regions, citrus trees are cultivated, and drip irrigation is used to save water. In this paper, we propose a smart irrigation system for citrus trees using a WSN. We describe the employed sensors and nodes for this proposal. Next, we present the proposed architecture and the operational algorithms for the nodes. Moreover, we designed different algorithms for fault tolerance and energy saving functionalities. The energy saving algorithm is based on the relevance of the gathered data, which is analyzed in order to consider whether the information should be forwarded or not. A TPC-based protocol is proposed to perform the communication among the nodes of our system. In addition, we present different simulations of the proposed system. Particularly, we show the consumed bandwidth and the remaining energy in the different nodes. Finally, we test different energy configurations to evaluate the network lifetime and the remaining energy when the first node depletes its energy.This work has been partially supported by the “Conselleria d' Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport” through the “Subvenciones para la contratación de personal investigator de carácter predoctoral (Convocatoria 2017)” Grant number ACIF/2017/069, by the “Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte”, through the “Ayudas para contratacion predoctoral de Formación del Profesorado Universitario FPU (Convocatoria 2014)”. Grant number FPU14/02953 and finally, the research leading to these results has received funding from “la Caixa” Foundation and Triptolemos Foundation. This work has also been partially supported by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR.Parra-Boronat, L.; Rocher-Morant, J.; García-García, L.; Lloret, J.; Tomás Gironés, J.; Romero Martínez, JO.; Rodilla, M.... (2018). Design of a WSN for smart irrigation in citrus plots with fault-tolerance and energy-saving algorithms. Network Protocols and Algorithms. 10(2):95-115. https://doi.org/10.5296/npa.v10i2.13205S9511510

A Comparison of DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Gambling Disorder in a Large Clinical Sample

Background and Aims: Gambling-related crimes are known to be associated with gambling disorder (GD). Due to a lack of consensus in the scientific community regarding the relevance of this diagnostic criterion, it was removed from the DSM-5. The primary aim of this study was to investigate through structural equation modeling (SEM) whether higher GD severity in treatment-seeking GD patients with a criminal record is mediated through the illegal acts criterion itself, or whether it can be better explained by other related clinical factors.Methods: An initial sample of 2,081 patients seeking treatment for gambling problems was included in the sample. SEM was used to evaluate the mediational role of the illegal acts criterion between the sex, age and personality traits, gambling severity, and comorbid depression levels. Comparisons between patients with coinciding and divergent DSM criterion for GD diagnosis were carried out.Results: Illegal acts mediated the relationship between personality traits and GD severity: younger age, high levels of novelty seeking, and low levels of self-transcendence increased the risk of endorsing the illegal acts criterion. No differences between coincident-divergent groups in terms of DSM-IV and DSM-5 diagnosis were found with regards to sex (p = 0.878), education level (p = 0.387), or civil status (p = 0.792).Discussion and Conclusion: The results obtained in the present study offer new insights into the utility of using a history of illegal acts, their different personality characteristics, and psychopathology to categorize GD patients. Our findings suggest that patients who engage in criminal behavior may require a more comprehensive intervention