FREIGHT RAILWAY TRANSPORT: CRITICAL VARIABLES TO IMPROVE THE TRANSPORT APPLIED TO INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS AND ITS ASSOCIATED TRAFFIC FLOW

[EN] The developed societies have as challenge, among others, to achieve a mobility development based on economic models of low carbon and energy efficient, making it accessible to the entire population. In this context, the sustainable mobility seems to meet the economic, social and environmental needs, minimizing their negative impact. There are three factors that are relevant: (1) infrastructures; (2) modes of transport more ecological and safe, and (3) operations and services for passengers and freights. The objective of this research is to provide guidance to investment in sustainable transport infrastructures that are truly useful and effective. In particular we have studied the case of the railway, using the following information: details of the infrastructure; cost of construction (per kilometre); maintenance cost, and life cycle. This information may be relevant to consider their possible business models. The methodology of this research was focused in the detailed analysis of the infrastructure use and maintenance criteria, the market opportunities for freight development and the available data to validate the obtained results from the software tool reached in this work. Our research includes the different following aspects: • Evaluation of the supported traffic by the rail line. • Relevant items to be considered in the rail infrastructure. Defining the track, we can group items in two sets: civil and rail installations. • Rolling stock available. Locomotives and wagons are modelled to introduce the data as convenience for the user. Besides our research includes the development of software, Decision System Tool (DST), for studying the construction and maintenance cost of railway infrastructure. It is developed in a common and open source program, providing the user the interaction with the critical variable of the line. It has been adjusted using the following references: MOM PlanCargorail; EcoTransIT, and Projects funded by Framework Program of EU (NewOpera, Innotrack and Sustrail).Sanz Bobi, JDD.; Martinez Muneta, ML.; Sanz Lopez, M. (2016). FREIGHT RAILWAY TRANSPORT: CRITICAL VARIABLES TO IMPROVE THE TRANSPORT APPLIED TO INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS AND ITS ASSOCIATED TRAFFIC FLOW. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 561-572. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.3553OCS56157

Fast and accurate methodology for direct mercury determination in hair and nails

A solvent-free, easy, fast and waste-free methodology was developed for the determination of total mercury levels in hair and nails. Samples were taken from several volunteers and directly analysed, with levels of mercury in the range between 0.5 and 8 ng/mg. The influence of quantity of hair, as well as the addition of small amount of solvent and the necessity of previous treatment were studied. Also, a history of mercury exposure was provided by the distance of the hair from the scalp of each volunteer, the results of which were correlated with fish consumption. Furthermore, a short study of mercury in nails was carried out and correlated to the results from hair mercury levels. A small quantity of 5 mg of hair with an addition of 50 μL of water to the sample without previous treatment was adequate to get a representative result in less than 10 minutes. The accuracy of the proposed method was confirmed by analysing certified reference materials including Coal Fly Ash-NIST SRM 1633b, Fucus-IAEA 140 and three unpolished Rice Flour NIES-10. The observed results were found to be in good agreement with the certified values

Prevalence and Distribution of High-Risk Genotypes of HPV in Women with Severe Cervical Lesions in Madrid, Spain: Importance of Detecting Genotype 16 and Other High-Risk Genotypes

Background. Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) has been demonstrated to be the necessary causal factor for developing cervical cancer. To know the most prevalent HR-HPV in different geographical areas is important to design diagnostic tests and implementation of vaccines. Objectives. The goal of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of HR-HPV in a total of 1001 patients, 198 with normal cytology results, 498 with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and 205 with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) who attended our gynaecology department for opportunistic screening of HPV infection. Study design. Cervical samples were taken in a PreservCyt vial (Cytyc Corporation, Boxborough, MA). Hybrid capture assay was carried out following the manufacturer's instructions (Digene Corp., Gaithersburg, MD). All samples were further studied with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test, Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). Results. Genotype 16 was the most prevalent HR-HPV in the three groups, 17.8% in the patients with normal cytology results, 22.3% in the LSIL group, and 60% in the HSIL group. Genotype 18 had a very low prevalence in all groups. Other HR-HPV genotypes such as genotype 31, genotype 58 and genotype 52 were found in significant numbers in HSIL patients. Discussion. Our data show that genotypes 16, 31, 58, and 52 are the most prevalent HR-HPV in cervical samples with severe intraepithelial lesion in Spain. There may be some geographical variation in prevalence of carcinogenic types, and it must be considered for designing diagnostic tests and vaccine

Prevalence and Distribution of High-Risk Genotypes of HPV in Women with Severe Cervical Lesions in Madrid, Spain: Importance of Detecting Genotype 16 and Other High-Risk Genotypes

Background. Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) has been demonstrated to be the necessary causal factor for developing cervical cancer. To know the most prevalent HR-HPV in different geographical areas is important to design diagnostic tests and implementation of vaccines. Objectives. The goal of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of HR-HPV in a total of 1001 patients, 198 with normal cytology results, 498 with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and 205 with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) who attended our gynaecology department for opportunistic screening of HPV infection. Study design. Cervical samples were taken in a PreservCyt vial (Cytyc Corporation, Boxborough, MA). Hybrid capture assay was carried out following the manufacturer's instructions (Digene Corp., Gaithersburg, MD). All samples were further studied with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test, Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). Results. Genotype 16 was the most prevalent HR-HPV in the three groups, 17.8% in the patients with normal cytology results, 22.3% in the LSIL group, and 60% in the HSIL group. Genotype 18 had a very low prevalence in all groups. Other HR-HPV genotypes such as genotype 31, genotype 58 and genotype 52 were found in significant numbers in HSIL patients. Discussion. Our data show that genotypes 16, 31, 58, and 52 are the most prevalent HR-HPV in cervical samples with severe intraepithelial lesion in Spain. There may be some geographical variation in prevalence of carcinogenic types, and it must be considered for designing diagnostic tests and vaccine

Extraction of the wheat straw hemicellulose fraction assisted by commercial endo-xylanases. Role of the accessory enzyme activities

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGWheat straw is a highly promising raw material for bio-refinery strategies. Most of the literature related to lignocellulose fractionation focuses on cellulose purification and hemicellulose solubilization. Pre-treatments for hemicellulose solubilization without the formation of undesired products usually reach low extraction yields, which leaves an important hemicellulose fraction unused. In this work, we propose a mild process for the efficient extraction of the hemicellulose fraction of wheat straw assisted by partial enzymatic hydrolysis with three commercial endo-xylanase cocktails. A first step with alkali at 40 ºC helped to disrupt the lignocellulosic structure and removed 19% of lignin while maintaining most of the hemicellulose in the solid. The enzymatic step enabled reaching extraction yields of 59.8%, 51.9%, and 42.5% with Ultraflo L, Pentopan mono conc, and Shearzyme 500L, respectively. We also discuss the catalytic properties of each endo-xylanase, in particular, their adscription to the GH10 or GH11 glycosyl hydrolase family, and the relevant role of accessory enzymes.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RTI2018–099249-B-I0

Occupational disease due to Anisakis simplex in fish handlers

Background: Anisakis is a marine nematode. Its larvae can be found encysted in several species, both inthe abdominal cavity and in the adjacent musculature. The most commonly affected commercial speciesare hake, whiting, cod, and mackerel. The prevalence in fish varies according to the fishing area and thesize of the host.Materials and methods: Until now only three species have been confirmed to be involved in human anisakiasis,the most common ones being A. simplex sensu stricto (s.s.) and A. pegreffii, and anecdotally,A. physeteris. Infestation in humans occurs when they eat raw or undercooked parasitized fish or cephalopods(pickled, cold-smoked, salted, semi-preserved, prepared in certain Asian styles like sushi or sashimi, ceviche).Results: The majority of anisakiasis cases have been described by Japanese authors. However, over thelast few years there has been an increase in the number of cases reported in other countries including Italyand Spain. It is estimated that its incidence in the European Union is 0.32/100,000, and in the BasqueCountry (Spain), this parasite is responsible for 10% of anaphylaxis cases and 32% of urticaria cases inadults aged 40–60 years, around 300 cases/year. Anisakis-related disease in the work environment (occupationaldisease) is less common.Conclusions: We present three cases of the occupational disease in Spain due to a type I hypersensitivity toAnisakis simplex in individuals who handle fish (one fishmonger, one supermarket employee, and one chef)

Participación del alumnado de Grado en Educación Social en los procesos de evaluación formativa de las asignaturas

[SPA] La evaluación es uno de los elementos clave en el nuevo modelo educativo de formación por competencias, si bien, la modalidad que mayor importancia alcanza en estos momentos de transformación universitaria es la evaluación formativa, principalmente por su potencial adquirido para mejorar los procesos de enseñanza y de aprendizaje. Esta modalidad de evaluación se optimiza cuando en ella se otorga una participación activa al alumnado. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio fue mejorar los procesos educativos en el aula mediante un sistema de evaluación formativa y participativa. En la investigación participaron 40 estudiantes de segundo curso de Grado de Educación Social de la Universidad de Murcia, aplicándose para la recogida de información dos técnicas: un cuestionario a cumplimentar por parejas consensuadamente, y un grupo de discusión. Como resultado de dicha evaluación se obtuvo una valoración global del desarrollo de las asignaturas únicamente de aceptable, lo que conllevó una serie de propuestas de mejora que comenzaron a aplicarse en el primer cuatrimestre y continuarán implementándose a lo largo del segundo cuatrimestre.[ENG] Evaluation is one of the key elements in the new educational model of skills training, although and mode of formative assessment that it has more importance now, in these times of transformation mainly for its ability to improve teaching and learning. This type of evaluation is better when the students is actively involved. Therefore, the aim of this study was to improve the educational process in the classroom through a system of formative and participatory evaluation. Participated in the research were 40 sophomores of Social Education Degree from the University of Murcia. For data collection a questionnaire, which was to be completed by couples consensual and a discussion group was applied. As a result of this evaluation was obtained an overall assessment of the development of the subjects acceptable only, which involves a series of improvement proposals that have already begun to be implemented in the first semester and continue to be implemented during the second semester

Blogfolio. Aprendiendo a través de la evaluación

One of the most innovating tools used in web 2.0 is the blogfolio. This research, of evaluational nature, has the aim of determining the advantages and limitations of said tool in the educational field. For that purpose, a group of Pre-school Education degree students from the University of Murcia were asked about their opinion on a blogfolio that they had been using throughout the course of one of their subjects. An ad hoc questionnaire, validated by inter-judge reliability, was used for that matter. The results show that, in general, the blogfolio is suitable as an instrument for the students’ learning process and as a form of evaluation, as well as a way of encouraging collaborative work among them. While meaningful differences have been found regarding the students’ perception of the portfolio depending on the group they belonged to, no significant differences based on previous knowledge about blogs (either by having followed one or having created one) have been noticed.Una de las herramientas más innovadoras utilizadas en la web 2.0 es el denominado blogfolio. Con el fin de determinar las ventajas y limitaciones de dicha herramienta en el ámbito educativo, en esta investigación, de carácter evaluativo, se ha querido conocer la opinión de un grupo de estudiantes del Grado en Educación Infantil de la Universidad de Murcia, sobre un blogfolio que los mismos estaban utilizando durante el transcurso de una de las asignaturas. Para ello, se ha empleado un cuestionario ad hoc, validado mediante el procedimiento interjueces. Los resultados indican que, en general, el blogfolio es adecuado como instrumento para el aprendizaje y la evaluación de los estudiantes, así como para fomentar el trabajo colaborativo entre los mismos. Si bien se han hallado diferencias significativas en lo que respecta a la percepción que tienen los alumnos y alumnas sobre la utilización del portafolios en función del grupo al que éstos pertenecen, no ha sido así considerando el conocimiento previo que los estudiantes tenían sobre los blogs, ni en función de que hubiesen creado antes otros blogs, ni tampoco según hiciesen seguimiento o no de algún blog

Evaluación de la pertinencia de las competencias de cuarto curso del Grado en Pedagogía de la Universidad de Murcia

[SPA] En el actual modelo educativo universitario de formación por competencias, éstas constituyen el núcleo principal de los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Al ser los estudiantes los verdaderos protagonistas de su desarrollo educativo, la perspectiva que éstos aportan en relación a la planificación, desarrollo y evaluación de las competencias transversales y específicas contempladas en las guías docentes de las asignaturas ha de ser tenida en cuenta por el profesorado. Comenzando por la planificación de dichas competencias, en esta investigación se analiza la pertinencia de las mismas teniendo en cuenta su claridad, relevancia, evaluabilidad y exclusividad, desde la perspectiva del alumnado. Para ello se ha aplicado un cuestionario a una muestra de 30 estudiantes de último curso de Grado en Pedagogía de la Universidad de Murcia. Las competencias evaluadas han sido las de las asignaturas impartidas en dicho curso durante el primer cuatrimestre. Los resultados indican que, en general, dichas competencias han de ser modificadas en relación a los cuatro criterios considerados, especialmente en lo que respecta a su evaluabilidad y exclusividad.[ENG] In the current model of university education competencies training, these competencias are the core of the teaching and learning. Students are the true protagonists of their educational development and its perspective in relation to the planning, development and evaluation of the transversal and specific competencies covered in the guides teachers of the subjects, must be taken into account by teachers. Beginning with the planning of these competencies, in this research the relevance of competencies is analyzed, taking into account its clarity, relevance, evaluability and exclusivity, from the perspective of students. This questionnaire has been applied to 30 students in their final year of Degree in Pedagogy at the University of Murcia. We evaluated the competencies of the subjects taught in this course during the first semester. The results indicate that, in general, those competencies must be modified in relation to the four criteria considered, especially in regard to its evaluability and exclusivity.BELMONTE ALMAGRO, María Luisa, GARCÍA SANZ, María Paz y GALIÁN NICOLÁS, Begoña