Spatial variability patterns of some Vertisol properties at a field scale using standardized data

Spatial variability of Vertisol properties is relevant for identifying those zones with physical degradation. In this sense, one has to face the problem of identifying the origin and distribution of spatial variability patterns. The objectives of the present work were (i) to quantify the spatial structure of different physical properties collected from a Vertisol, (ii) to search for potential correlations between different spatial patterns and (iii) to identify relevant components through multivariate spatial analysis. The study was conducted on a Vertisol (Typic Hapludert) dedicated to sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) production during the last sixty years. We used six soil properties collected from a squared grid (225 points) (penetrometer resistance (PR), total porosity, fragmentation dimension (Df), vertical electrical conductivity (ECv), horizontal electrical conductivity (ECh) and soil water content (WC)). All the original data sets were z-transformed before geostatistical analysis. Three different types of semivariogram models were necessary for fitting individual experimental semivariograms. This suggests the different natures of spatial variability patterns. Soil water content rendered the largest nugget effect (C0 = 0.933) while soil total porosity showed the largest range of spatial correlation (A = 43.92 m). The bivariate geostatistical analysis also rendered significant cross-semivariance between different paired soil properties. However, four different semivariogram models were required in that case. This indicates an underlying co-regionalization between different soil properties, which is of interest for delineating management zones within sugarcane fields. Cross-semivariograms showed larger correlation ranges than individual, univariate, semivariograms (A ≥ 29 m). All the findings were supported by multivariate spatial analysis, which showed the influence of soil tillage operations, harvesting machinery and irrigation water distribution on the status of the investigated area

Proyecto DIL-D CEE: Desarrollo de políticas y estrategias de integración laboral de personas con Discapacidad en Centros Especiales de Empleo. (Informe final)

El proyecto que presentamos seguidamente tiene por objeto exponer los resultados correspondientes al cuarto año de andadura de la Cátedra UB – Fundación Adecco para la Integración Laboral de Personas con Discapacidad (http://www.ub.edu/catedrainlab/). En concreto, al informe final correspondiente al PROYECTO DIL-D desarrollado en los Centros Especiales de Empleo (CEE). España es uno de los países de la UE con tasas más altas de desempleo entre las personas con discapacidad (32.25%) (Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal - SEPE, 2016) pese a la legislación desplegada para facilitar su inclusión, por lo que la información que elaboramos desde esta Cátedra pretendemos que sea útil para explorar nuevos caminos hacia la integración. Para ello, partimos de una perspectiva que incluye la acción conjunta de diferentes ámbitos de competencia, responsabilidad, conocimientos y experiencia de todos los agentes involucrados. En este contexto de investigación-acción presentamos el presente informe, dónde se muestran los resultados alcanzados durante este periodo de investigación, correspondiente al Proyecto DIL-D CEE. Su principal objetivo es, en primer lugar, analizar la realidad de los CEE en España, el marco jurídico que les es de aplicación y los medios de financiación qué disponen. En segundo lugar, se analiza el grado de compromiso de diversos actores expertos en el ámbito de RRHH/RSC (gerentes, directores, propietarios, y presidentes de asociaciones de Centros Especiales de Empleo) en materia de integración laboral de personas con discapacidad. Se realiza un análisis de los retos, oportunidades, amenazas, y debilidades que se perciben en el presente y el futuro de los CEE

Development of lifetime comorbidity in the world health organization world mental health surveys

CONTEXT: Although numerous studies have examined the role of latent variables in the structure of comorbidity among mental disorders, none has examined their role in the development of comorbidity. OBJECTIVE: To study the role of latent variables in the development of comorbidity among 18 lifetime DSM-IV disorders in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. DESIGN: Nationally or regionally representative community surveys. SETTING: Fourteen countries. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 21 229 survey respondents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: First onset of 18 lifetime DSM-IV anxiety, mood, behavior, and substance disorders assessed retrospectively in the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS: Separate internalizing (anxiety and mood disorders) and externalizing (behavior and substance disorders) factors were found in exploratory factor analysis of lifetime disorders. Consistently significant positive time-lagged associations were found in survival analyses for virtually all temporally primary lifetime disorders predicting subsequent onset of other disorders. Within-domain (ie, internalizing or externalizing) associations were generally stronger than between-domain associations. Most time-lagged associations were explained by a model that assumed the existence of mediating latent internalizing and externalizing variables. Specific phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (internalizing) and hyperactivity and oppositional defiant disorders (externalizing) were the most important predictors. A small number of residual associations remained significant after controlling the latent variables. CONCLUSIONS: The good fit of the latent variable model suggests that common causal pathways account for most of the comorbidity among the disorders considered herein. These common pathways should be the focus of future research on the development of comorbidity, although several important pairwise associations that cannot be accounted for by latent variables also exist that warrant further focused study

Diodos emisores de luz para irradiación de plantas

Los recientes desarrollos conseguidos en el área de la iluminación con diodos emisores de luz (LEDs, cuando son inorgánicos, y OLEDs, cuando son orgánicos) resultan de gran interés en horticultura, al permitir manipular el espectro radiante que va a incidir sobre las plantas, con el objetivo de aumentar su producción o de generar determinados efectos fisiológicos, sobre todo en invernaderos. Puesto que los vegetales crecen mejor cuando son iluminados (irradiados) en las regiones roja y azul del espectro, resulta aconsejable sustituir los sistemas de iluminación fotosintética actuales, fundamentalmente mediante lámparas de descarga en gases (vapor de sodio a alta presión y, en menor medida, halogenuros metálicos), por LEDs comerciales que emiten separadamente en esas regiones o por OLEDs susceptibles de emisión conjunta. Además, estos dispositivos son más eficientes que las lámparas incandescentes (consumen mucha menor energía eléctrica y poseen una vida media de uso mucho más larga), no generan exceso de calor (y por tanto no dañan a plantas térmicamente sensibles), e incluso, en el caso de los LEDs rojos, repelen insectos, por lo que contribuyen a la disminución en el uso de agrotóxicos. En el presente artículo, se revisan las últimas contribuciones en Fitofotónica relacionadas con los diodos emisores de luz, se aporta la experiencia existente sobre la aplicación de LEDs a invernaderos y se divulga el estado de las investigaciones que algunos grupos de investigación estamos realizando sobre OLEDs emisores bien en el rojo o bien en las regiones del rojo y el azul

Chagas Disease among the Latin American Adult population attending in a primary care center in Barcelona, Spain

Background/Aims: The epidemiology of Chagas disease, until recently confined to areas of continental Latin America, has undergone considerable changes in recent decades due to migration to other parts of the world, including Spain. We studied the prevalence of Chagas disease in Latin American patients treated at a health center in Barcelona and evaluated its clinical phase. We make some recommendations for screening for the disease. Methodology/Principal Findings: We performed an observational, cross-sectional prevalence study by means of an immunochromatographic test screening of all continental Latin American patients over the age of 14 years visiting the health centre from October 2007 to October 2009. The diagnosis was confirmed by serological methods: conventional in-house ELISA (cELISA), a commercial kit (rELISA) and ELISA using T cruzi lysate (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics) (oELISA). Of 766 patients studied, 22 were diagnosed with T. cruzi infection, showing a prevalence of 2.87% (95% CI, 1.6-4.12%). Of the infected patients, 45.45% men and 54.55% women, 21 were from Bolivia, showing a prevalence in the Bolivian subgroup (n = 127) of 16.53% (95% CI, 9.6-23.39%). All the infected patients were in a chronic phase of Chagas disease: 81% with the indeterminate form, 9.5% with the cardiac form and 9.5% with the cardiodigestive form. All patients infected with T. cruzi had heard of Chagas disease in their country of origin, 82% knew someone affected, and 77% had a significant history of living in adobe houses in rural areas. Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of T. cruzi infection in immigrants from Bolivia. Detection of T. cruzi¿infected persons by screening programs in non-endemic countries would control non-vectorial transmission and would benefit the persons affected, public health and national health systems

Early childhood adversity and later hypertension: data from the world mental health survey

BACKGROUND Although many studies have indicated that psychosocial factors contribute to hypertension, and that early childhood adversity is associated with long-term adverse mental and physical health sequelae, the association between early adversity and later hypertension is not well studied. METHOD Data from 10 countries participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health (WHM) Surveys (N = 18,630) were analyzed to assess the relationship between childhood adversity and adult-onset hypertension, as ascertained by self-report. The potentially mediating effect of early-onset depression-anxiety disorders, as assessed by the WHM Survey version of the International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI), on the relationship between early adversity and hypertension was also examined. RESULTS Two or more early childhood adversities, as well as early-onset depression-anxiety, were significantly associated with hypertension. A range of specific childhood adversities, as well as early-onset social phobia and panic/agoraphobia, were significantly associated with hypertension. In multivariate analyses, the presence of 3 or more childhood adversities was associated with hypertension, even when early-onset depression-anxiety or current depression-anxiety was included in the model. CONCLUSIONS Although caution is required in the interpretation of self-report data on adult-onset hypertension, the results of this study further strengthen the evidence base regarding the role of psychosocial factors in the pathogenesis of hypertension

Qüestionaris d'autoavaluació de coneixements: Participació dels estudiants, incidència en el rendiment acadèmic i valoració.

Projecte: 2014PID-UB/042Durant el curs 2015-2016, en assignatures de Psicologia del Desenvolupament, es va oferir als estudiants la possibilitat de respondre, a través de Moodle, qüestionaris d’autoavaluació amb feedback sobre els continguts d’aprenentatge. Es van organitzar per temes i eren actius durant el període en que es treballava el corresponent tema a l’aula. Es presenta l’anàlisi del seguiment de la proposta per part dels estudiants, de la incidència en el rendiment acadèmic i de la valoració de l’experiència

“The grass is greener on the other side”:The relationship between the Brexit referendum results and spatial inequalities at the local level

Despite seven decades of development of the European Union project, on 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom, Europe and the rest of the world were surprised when the Leave campaign won the Brexit referendum, offering an extraordinary case study for researchers. We spatially disaggregate the vote share data, which allows us to explore where anti-European sentiment took root in the UK and why. In this paper, a spatial dependence model is applied to clarify and quantify the relevance of the different dimensions - demographic, cultural/educational and economic - that play a role in explaining the rise of support for the Leave campaign. The analysis is conducted at the local level, using local authorities (LAs) as the spatial unit of analysis due to the combination of official datasets with newly generated data in the context of an EU H2020 project. A new indicator capturing the affluence of each local area relative to its close neighbours is proposed and included in the model. In general, we observe that most of the main conclusions obtained by large regions or at the national level also hold at the local scale. However, it is particularly interesting that inequalities by LAs are clearly significant, indicating a marked influence on voters' decisions that have thus far been unaccounted for. This result provides further support for the existence of, to use Andrés Rodriguez-Pose's terminology, an even more intense "revenge of the places that do not matter" at the local scale.A pesar de siete décadas de desarrollo del proyecto de la Unión Europea, el 23 de junio de 2016, el Reino Unido, Europa y el resto del mundo se vieron sorprendidos cuando la campaña Leave ganó el referéndum de Brexit, lo que ofreció un estudio de caso extraordinario para la investigación. En este artículo se desagregaron espacialmente los datos de distribución del voto, lo que permitió examinar en dónde arraigó el sentimiento antieuropeo en el Reino Unido y por qué. Se aplicó un modelo de dependencia espacial para aclarar y cuantificar la relevancia de las diferentes dimensiones (demográfica, cultural/educativa y económica) que intervienen en la explicación del aumento del apoyo a la campaña Leave. El análisis se realizó a nivel local, utilizando las autoridades locales (AL) como unidad espacial de análisis debido a la combinación de conjuntos de datos oficiales con datos recién generados en el contexto de un proyecto Horizonte 2020 de la UE. Se propone un nuevo indicador que capta la prosperidad de cada área local en relación con sus vecinas cercanas, que se incluyó en el modelo. En general, se observó que la mayoría de las conclusiones principales obtenidas por las grandes regiones o a nivel nacional aplican también a escala local. Sin embargo, es especialmente interesante que las desigualdades a nivel de AL son claramente significativas, lo que indica una marcada influencia en las decisiones de los votantes que hasta ahora no se han tenido en cuenta. Este resultado proporciona apoyo adicional a la existencia de, según la terminología de Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, una "venganza de los sitios que no importan" aún más intensa a escala local

A antropomorfização do vínculo humano-animal na dinâmica familiar: uma análise documental

Introduction: The study of the interaction between humans and companion animals has become more relevant due to changes in current social dynamics. Objective: To conduct a documentary review of the evolution of research on anthropomorphizationin animals and its impact on the human-animal bond characteristic of contemporary family dynamics. Methodology: This is a documentary review study supported by the Tree of Science (ToS) web tool for literature selection. The search was conducted inScopus and Web of Science. Thirty-one studies were included in the review. Results: The results were categorized into classical, structural and recent studies. It was found that the anthropomorphization of the animal and its inclusion in the family makes it possible to modify behaviors and establish habits in family life. The role of animals in the family scenario is directly influenced by the degree to which they are anthropomorphized, which generates both advantages and disadvantages for the family, the pets and their direct caregivers. Conclusions: Anthropomorphizing practices respond to contemporary changes in human relationships and perceived loneliness and may promote bonds in human-animal and human-human interactions.Introducción: El estudio de la interacción entre humanos y animales de compañía ha cobrado relevancia debido a los cambios en las dinámicas sociales actuales. Objetivo: Realizar una revisión documental de la evolución de la investigación sobre laantropomorfización en los animales y su impacto en el vínculo humano-animal propio de las dinámicas familiares contemporáneas. Metodología: Es un estudio de revisión documental con apoyo de la herramienta web Tree of Science (ToS) para la selección deliteratura. La búsqueda se efectuó en Scopus y Web of Science (WoS). Se incluyeron 31 estudios en la revisión. Resultados: Los hallazgos se segmentaron en estudios clásicos, estructurales y recientes, encontrando que la antropomorfización del animal y su inclusión en la familia posibilita la modificación de conductas, e instaurar hábitos en la vida familiar. El rol de los animales en el escenario familiar está influido directamente por el grado en que son antropomorfizados, lo cual genera tanto beneficios como perjuicios para la familia, los animales de compañía y sus cuidadores directos. Conclusiones: Lasprácticas de antropomorfización responden a cambios contemporáneos en las relaciones humanas y la soledad percibida, y pueden favorecer los vínculos en la interacción humanoanimal e interacción humano-humano.Introdução: O estudo da interação entre humanos e animais de companhia tem vindo a ganhar relevância devido às alterações nas dinâmicas sociais actuais. Objetivo: Realizar uma revisão documental da evolução da investigação sobre a antropomorfização emanimais e o seu impacto na ligação humano-animal caraterística das dinâmicas familiares contemporâneas. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo de revisão documental apoiado na ferramenta web Tree of Science (ToS) para seleção de literatura. A pesquisa foiefectuada nas bases de dados Scopus e Web of Science. Foram incluídos na revisão 31 estudos. Resultados: Os resultados foram segmentados em estudos clássicos, estruturais e recentes, constatando-se que a antropomorfização do animal e a sua inclusão na famíliapermite modificar comportamentos e estabelecer hábitos na vida familiar. O papel dos animais no contexto familiar é diretamente influenciado pelo grau de antropomorfização dos mesmos, o que gera benefícios e prejuízos para a família, para os animais de companhia e para os seus cuidadores directos. Conclusões: As práticas de antropomorfizaçãorespondem às mudanças contemporâneas nas relações humanas e à perceção de solidão, podendo promover vínculos na interação humano-animal e humano-humano