Taotist Aesthetics in Fisac’s House located in Cerro del Aire, Madrid

[Resumen] Reiteradamente se ha referenciado la infl uencia que la arquitectura oriental ha tenido sobre la obra de Fisac. En este artículo se profundiza sobre ello, buscando huellas de la estética taoísta en la materialización del patio de su casa en Cerro del Aire, que se va transformando a lo largo del tiempo. A través del análisis perceptivo de los elementos que lo conforman —vegetación, un conjunto de rocas y un estanque— se descubre cómo Fisac los emplea para evidenciar los principios taoístas: empatía, ritmo vital, reticencia y vacío[Abstract] Influence of Eastern architecture on Fisac’s work has been reiteratedly stated. The aim of this paper is to take a deeper look into this permeation, searching for evidence of the use of Taoist Aesthetics in the courtyard of his house in Cerro del Aire, which has been remodeled over time. Th e elements of the courtyard —plants, stones and a pond— are perceptually analysed; it is shown how Fisac uses them to materialize Tao Principles: Empathy, Life pace, Reluctance and Emptiness

A geological model for the management of subsurface data in the urban environment of Barcelona and surrounding area

The overdevelopment of cities since the industrial revolution has shown the need to incorporate a sound geological knowledge in the management of required subsurface infrastructures and in the assessment of increasingly needed groundwater resources. Additionally, the scarcity of outcrops and the technical difficulty to conduct underground exploration in urban areas highlights the importance of implementing efficient management plans that deal with the legacy of heterogeneous subsurface information. To deal with these difficulties, a methodology has been proposed to integrate all the available spatio-temporal data into a comprehensive spatial database and a set of tools that facilitates the analysis and processing of the existing and newly added data for the city of Barcelona (NE Spain). Here we present the resulting actual subsurface 3-D geological model that incorporates and articulates all the information stored in the database. The methodology applied to Barcelona benefited from a good collaboration between administrative bodies and researchers that enabled the realization of a comprehensive geological database despite logistic difficulties. Currently, the public administration and also private sectors both benefit from the geological understanding acquired in the city of Barcelona, for example, when preparing the hydrogeological models used in groundwater assessment plans. The methodology further facilitates the continuous incorporation of new data in the implementation and sustainable management of urban groundwater, and also contributes to significantly reducing the costs of new infrastructures.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Reseña geográfica-histórica de Salamanca y su provincia, para uso de los colegios y escuelas de la misma

Copia digital. Valladolid : Junta de Castilla y León. Consejería de Cultura y Turismo, 2009-201

Antimicrobial properties of Camellia oleifera oil

Camellias have been used in oriental ethnomedicine and appear very promising for pharmaceutical exploitation since modern science has made it possible to specify their potential medical significance with antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiallergic, antiviral and skin healing properties. In the present study oil obtained from seeds of Camellia oleifera was studied for its antimicrobial activity using clinically isolated bacterial and yeast strains. The oil evidenced antimicrobial activity, and showed different selectivity and MICs for each microorganism tested. Obtained results indicate that the tested oil acted best in relation to Gram (-) bacteria than Gram (+). The data obtained in the in vitro models clearly establish its antimicrobial potency.XUNTA DE GALICIA for financial support: Grants INCITE09 262346PR and PGIDIT06RAG26103PR. X.F. would also like to thank the Xunta de Galicia (Isidro Parga Pondal Program for young researchers, Grant No. IPP-020

Plataforma para la gestión de datos hidrogeológicos en entornos urbanos

Hace unos años se decidió descontaminar el embalse de Flix, afectado por vertidos de residuos por un empresa química durante todo el siglo pasado. Los residuos formaron 4 lóbulos de sedimentos en el río, con elevadas concentraciones de Mercurio, compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COV´s), residuos de producción de acetileno (Ca(OH)2) y pesticidas organoclorados. Se ha realizado un modelo 0D de transporte reactivo de la concentración en el agua conforme se excavan los sedimentos transitorio y explícito en excel, calibrado hasta Septiembre 2014 con datos semanales de la empresa extractora FCC. El modelo concluía dos graves problemas al terminar la excavación: Elevada concentración de Hg y pH (12.4), equilibrado con portlandita Desde Marzo de 2015 se observó un acusado descenso de pH y Hg. Nuestro objetivo ha sido encontrar la causa de estos descensos, para ello se han realizado simulaciones, muestreos y experimentos de laboratorio.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Biodiversidad e hipovirulencia de "Cryphonectria parasitica" en Europa: implicaciones para el control biológico del cancro del castaño

El cancro del castaño, causado por Cryphonectria parasitica, es una enfermedad ampliamente extendida en todo el mundo. En Europa, se ha detectado en la mayoría de las zonas cultivadas con Castanea sativa (castaño europeo) en países mediterráneos y centroeuropeos, y se considera un patógeno de cuarentena. No existe ningún método cultural ni químico de control de este hongo, ni ningún cultivar de castaño europeo tolerante o resistente a la enfermedad. En los últimos años, la investigación sobre el control del cancro se ha centrado en el desarrollo de métodos biológicos. Cryphonectria parasitica presenta dos tipos de cepas: virulentas, que causan graves lesiones en el árbol, e hipovirulentas, que apenas ocasionan daños porque son portadoras de un virus que atenúa su virulencia. La aplicación en campo, sobre castaños afectados, de cepas hipovirulentas, que pueden transmitir su virus a las virulentas, es, por el momento, la única perspectiva para reducir y/o minimizar los daños que este patógeno ocasiona. El éxito de esta técnica de control biológico del cancro requiere un conocimiento previo de la estructura poblacional de Cryphonectria parasitica (número y distribución de los tipos de compatibilidad vegetativa y sexual) y la existencia de cepas hipovirulentas compatibles con las virulentas dominantes en una zona afectada

Gb-SAR interferometry displacement measurements during dewatering in construction works : case of La Sagrera railway station in Barcelona, Spain

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2016.02.014Construction processes require monitoring to ensure safety and to control the new and existing structures. Traditional monitoring is based on land surveys and geotechnical instruments and only allows for point-like measurements. Ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GB-SAR) is a remote sensing radar installed in the ground that offers the possibility of acquiring measurements in 2D covering areas of up to a few square kilometers in a single acquisition. Because the GB-SAR technology measures phase shifts along the Line-of-Sight, it only allows for measurements in the longitudinal direction. Moreover, this technology requires coherence between subsequent acquisitions. These restrictions can be a limitation to the usage of GB-SAR for monitoring a construction process because in this context, the movements of soil and existing structures occur in any direction and at a very fast pace. This paper aims to test the GB-SAR suitability to measure movements during construction. To do so, an experiment was performed in the future railway station of La Sagrera, Barcelona (Spain), in which GB-SAR was used to accurately quantify wall displacements induced by dewatering and proved to be helpful to understand structural deformations and to identify vulnerable areas. The results were compared to traditional monitoring data and numerical models to confirm the reliability of the GB-SAR measurements.Postprint (published version

How universities have responded to E-learning as a result of Covid-19 challenges

E-learning environments designed with adaptive technology in mind can help students learn and retain information more effectively by enhancing their learning experience and increasing their level of engagement. Here, students' learning styles are considered in creating an adaptable online environment, and the effects on student engagement are examined. For the sake of this study, we've also attempted to describe and compare the suggested adaptive learning environment to an existing e-learning technique. With Covid-19 in the classroom, technology advancements have grown exponentially, and this progress has coincided with the process of teaching and learning. Virtual classrooms necessitated an e-learning process since it was the most user-friendly teaching method. A descriptive, correlative, transversal and prescriptive research approach was used. An online survey was used to gather data to get a random and voluntary sample of 3560 university students from Peru. A lack of reading comprehension is an issue, but students may use communication technologies and the Internet to improve their teaching and to learn via self-learning.Campus Arequip

Pest categorisation of the Gonipterus scutellatus species complex

The Panelon Plant health performed a pest categorisation of the Australian Eucalyptus snout-beetle Gonipterusscutellatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), for the EU. G.scutellatus should be referred as the G.scutellatus species complex because it includes several cryptic species. A complete nomenclature of the species present in the EU is still pending. It is a quarantine pest listed in Annex IIB of Council Directive 2000/29/EC. Protected zones are in place in Greece and Portugal (Azores). In the EU, it has been found in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. It only consumes Eucalyptus species leaves. The main pathways of spread are the trade of Eucalyptus timber, hitchhiking in various commodities, trade of apple fruit as well as of plants for planting or plant parts. Spread by flight is also possible. The climate of the EU protected zones is similar to that of the Member States (MS) where the G.scutellatus complex is established, and the pest's main host plants are present. The damaged trees suffer die-back and the development of epicormics shoots. Severe attacks may provoke massive amounts of tree death. Biological control by using the egg parasitoid wasp Anaphesnitens is the most effective control measure. Some species within the G.scutellatus complex are not yet present in the EU (including G.scutellatus sensu stricto) and might therefore be considered as potential union quarantine pests for the EU territory. At least two species within the G.scutellatus complex (most likely G.platensis and Gonipterus species no. 2) meet the criteria assessed by EFSA for consideration as potential protected zone quarantine pests for the territory of the protected zones: Greece and Portugal (Azores). The criteria for considering the G.scutellatus complex as a potential regulated non-quarantine pest for the EU are not met since plants for planting are not the main pathway