Aproximación al comportamiento del consumidor para analizar la sostenibilidad de la compra de alimentos

[EN] In this study, a survey has been carried out to analyse the purchase choice regarding several packaging options of four basic foods (water, milk, bread and meat). We conducted a segmentation by age to analyse whether the purchasing behaviour changes depending on this variable, and whether it is related to environmental attitudes measured on the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale and to recycling behaviour. Among the results we found that, although young people seem to be slightly more environmentally aware, this does not translate into more sustainable purchases.[ES] En este artículo se ha realizado una encuesta para analizar la elección de compra en cuanto a varios envases de cuatro alimentos básicos. Se ha llevado a cabo una segmentación por edad para analizar si el comportamiento de compra difiere en función de esta variable y si tiene relación con actitudes medioambientales medidas en la escala NEP y con el comportamiento de reciclado. Los resultados muestran que, aunque los jóvenes parecen tener una conciencia medioambiental ligeramente mayor, esto no se traduce en compras más sostenibles.Martinez-Carrasco Martínez, L.; Brugarolas Mollá-Bauzá, M.; Gascón Mora, A. (2020). A consumer behaviour approach to analyse the sustainability of food purchasing. Economía Agraria y Recursos Naturales - Agricultural and Resource Economics. 20(2):73-93. https://doi.org/10.7201/earn.2020.02.04OJS739320

Association of anti-pad4 antibodies with erosion and biological treatment use in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Novel biomarkers have been described in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, including antibodies to carbamylated proteins (anti-CarP) and to protein-arginine deiminases (PAD). Anti-PAD4 antibodies are associated with anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and worse baseline radiographic joint damage [1]. A subset of anti-PAD4 antibodies that cross-react with PAD3 and are associated with erosive disease, ACPA and progress despite treatment have also been described [1]. Objectives: To evaluate several novel RA markers in a cohort of RA and controls and their association with erosive disease and biological treatment use in RA. Methods: Sera from 116 RA patients [63 young onset RA (YORA) and 53 elderly onset RA (EORA)] and 155 controls [134 polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients and 21 healthy individuals (HI) older than 60 years old] were included. Information on erosion status and biological treatment was available for 56 of the RA patients. The samples were tested for anti-PAD3 and anti-PAD4 IgG using the novel particle-based multi-analyte technology (PMAT, research use only, RUO), as well as for ACPA [CCP3 IgG ELISA and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA)] and anti-CarP IgG (ELISA, RUO). Results: Significantly higher levels of anti-PAD3, anti-PAD4 and ACPA (ELISA and CIA) but not CarP were observed in YORA vs. EORA (p<0.0001 for anti-PAD3 and ACPA ELISA and CIA, p=0.0016 for anti-PAD4). In the RA patients with erosion and treatment information available, anti-PAD4 antibody levels, but not ACPA, anti-CarP or anti-PAD3, were significantly higher in patients on biologic treatment vs. patients that were not on biologics (p=0.0017). Anti-PAD4 positive patients, were 10.1 [95% CI 2.5-52.0, p=0.0002] times more likely to be on biologic treatment vs. the negative group. Similarly, anti-PAD4 antibodies, but neither ACPA nor anti-CarP or anti-PAD3, were also significantly higher in patients with joint erosions (p=0.0354). All patients that were positive for anti-PAD4 antibodies (n=21) had erosive disease. Anti-PAD4 positive patients, were 20.2 [95% CI 1.1-363.2, p=0.0041] times more likely to have erosive disease.post-print247 K

Fibronectin modulates the endocannabinoid system through the cAMP/PKA pathway during human sperm capacitation

Fibronectin (Fn) enhances human sperm capacitation via the cAMP/PKA pathway, and the endocannabinoid system participates in this process. Moreover, Fn has been linked to endocannabinoid system components in different cellular models, even though no evidence of such interactions in human sperm is available. Normal semen samples were evaluated over a 4-year period. Our findings suggest that (a) the capacitating effects of Fn were reversed by preincubating the sperm with a cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) or transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) antagonist (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively); (b) cooperation between CB1 and TRPV1 may exist (p < 0.01); (c) the activity of specific fatty acid amide hydroxylase (FAAH) decreased after 1 min (p < 0.01) and increased after 60 min (p < 0.01) of capacitation in the presence of Fn; (d) the effects of Fn on FAAH activity were prevented by preincubating spermatozoa with a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor (p < 0.01); (e) Fn modulated both the cyclic adenosine monophosphate concentration and PKA activity (p < 0.05) during early capacitation; and (f) FAAH was a PKA substrate modulated by phosphorylation. These findings indicate that Fn stimulates human sperm capacitation via the cAMP/PKA pathway through modulation of the endocannabinoid system. Understanding the functional competence of human spermatozoa is essential for facilitating clinical advances in infertility treatment and for developing novel contraceptive strategies.Fil: Martínez León, Eduardo Antonio. Universidad de Antofagasta; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Osycka Salut, Claudia Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Signorelli, Janetti. Universidad de Antofagasta; ChileFil: Kong, Milene. Universidad de Antofagasta; ChileFil: Morales, Patricio. Universidad de Antofagasta; ChileFil: Perez Martinez, Silvina Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Emilce Silvina. Universidad de Antofagasta; Chil

Buccal dental microwear analyses support greater specialization in consumption of hard foodstuffs for Australopithecus anamensis

Molar occlusal microwear texture and anisotropy analyses of 3 Australopithecus anamensis fossil specimens have shown complexity values similar to those of Au. afarensis, indicating that neither of these hominin species had a diet dominated by hard food. However, many researchers have suggested that these were some of the earliest hominins to have such diets. Here we examine buccal microwear patterns of 5 Au. anamensis, 26 Au. afarensis, 48 Hominoidea and 80 Cercopithecoidea primate specimens for independent evidence of dietary adaptations of Au. anamensis. The buccal microwear results obtained suggest that the diet of Au. anamensis relied heavily on hard, brittle food, at least seasonally. This is similar to the diet of the extant Cercopithecoidea primates, including Papio anubis and Chlorocebus aethiops, both of which live in wooded, seasonal savannah environments and have diets that include fruit and grasses, but also underground storage organs (USOs), such as corms or blades, as well as leaves and seeds, and also Mandrillus and Cercocebus, from forested environments with frugivorous-granivorous diets. Furthermore, the buccal microwear patterns of Au. anamensis and Au. afarensis clearly differed -in clear contrast to occlusal enamel texture observations-, which support previous dietary interpretations based on both anatomical and palaeocological reconstructions

Anthropometric Dimensions and Bone Quality in International Male Beach Handball Players: Junior vs. Senior Comparison

Background: Beach handball is a recent team sport characterized by defensive and offensive actions on a sand surface. Scientific evidence has shown that body composition is fundamental in sports performance. The main objective of this study was to know the body composition, anthropometric characteristics, and bone mineral density of elite beach handball players. Furthermore, another purpose was to analyze the differences between categories (junior and senior) and playing position. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study of 36 male players (18 juniors and 18 seniors) of the Spanish National Beach Handball Team was conducted. Full profile anthropometry and calcaneal ultrasound measurements were used. Results: Significant differences between categories (p < 0.05) were found in: height, body mass, arm span, BMI, muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass, skinfolds, and body perimeters. The somatotype changes depending on the playing position. Bone mineral density of the players was adequate. No significant differences were found by playing position. Conclusions: Senior players had a better body composition due to the presence of less fat mass than junior players. This study provides reference values of elite junior and senior beach handball players and by playing positions. This data is useful for the identification of talents and players who should be trained to improve their body composition

Disminución de zonas de paramos generada por la actividad y expansión agrícola en el departamento de Boyacá

No aplicaJunto con el crecimiento poblacional y el mal manejo que por años se ha dado a los suelos agrícolas del país y para el caso puntal el departamento de Boyacá, con la siembra de monocultivos no rotativos como la papa y cebolla, los campesinos en búsqueda de nuevas tierras fértiles y mayores extensiones han empezado a pasar la frontera agrícola, afectando e interviniendo los paramos causando principalmente una perdida considerable de flora y la alteración del todo el ecosistema de paramo, comprometiendo a su vez la producción, calidad del agua y la disponibilidad del liquido a nivel nacional por un efecto adicional generado que es la erosión del suelo generando la sedimentación de los ríos y arroyos. Mediante la aplicación de los Sistemas de Información Geográfica se puede tener un historial y ver el comportamiento en tiempo real de como las labores agrícolas van afectando los paramos y el suelo en general.Along with population growth and evil management that has been given to the soil for years agriculture of the country and for the specific case the department of Boyacá, with the planting of non-rotating monocultures such as potatoes and onion, farmers in search of new fertile lands and greater extensions They have begun to cross the agricultural frontier, affecting and intervening in the paramos mainly causing a loss considerable flora and the alteration of the entire paramo ecosystem, engaging its time production, water quality and availability of the liquid nationwide an additional effect generated is erosion of the soil generating the sedimentation of the rivers and streams. Through the application of Systems Geographic Information you can have a history and view behavior in time real about how agricultural work is going affecting the moors and the soil in general

Decarbonization of Distribution Transformers Based on Current Reduction: Economic and Environmental Impacts

[EN] Well-known industrial practice efficiency improvement techniques, such as reactive compensation, load balancing, and harmonic filtering, are used in this paper to reduce energy losses in distribution transformers, and therefore, to decrease carbon dioxide emissions and economic costs in the operation of these transformers. Load balancing is carried out by monitoring the values of the angles of the active and reactive components of the vector unbalanced power. Likewise, the application of Order 3/2020 of the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission is described, in detail, for the calculation of the economic costs derived from the transformer energy losses caused by the load currents and the penalties due to transformer energy deliveries with capacitive power factors. Finally, all these improvement techniques are applied to determine savings in carbon dioxide emissions and costs on the electricity bill of an actual 1000 kVA distribution transformer that supplies a commercial and night-entertainment area. The results of this application case reveal that cost reductions due to energy loss savings are modest, but the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and the savings in penalties for capacitive reactive supplies are significant.This research was funded by Generalitat Valenciana (grant number GV/2021/149) and the H2020 project SMEmPower (grant number 847132). The APC was funded by Generalitat Valenciana.León-Martínez, V.; Andrada-Monrós, C.; Molina-Cañamero, L.; Cano-Martinez, J.; Peñalvo-López, E. (2021). Decarbonization of Distribution Transformers Based on Current Reduction: Economic and Environmental Impacts. Energies. 14(21):1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14217207S122142

Birth Size and Maternal, Social, and Environmental Factors in the Province of Jujuy, Argentina

Introduction: birth size is affected by diverse maternal, environmental, social, and economic factors. Aim: analyze the relationships between birth size—shown by the indicators small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA)—and maternal, social, and environmental factors in the Argentine province of Jujuy, located in the Andean foothills. Methods: data was obtained from 49,185 mother-newborn pairs recorded in the Jujuy Perinatal Information System (SIP) between 2009 and 2014, including the following: newborn and maternal weight, length/height, and body mass index (BMI); gestational age and maternal age; mother’s educational level, nutritional status, marital status and birth interval; planned pregnancy; geographic-linguistic origin of surnames; altitudinal place of birth; and unsatisfied basic needs (UBN). The dataset was split into two groups, SGA and LGA, and compared with adequate for gestational age (AGA). Bivariate analysis (ANOVA) and general lineal modeling (GLM) with multinomial distribution were employed. Results: for SGA newborns, risk factors were altitude (1.43 [1.12–1.82]), preterm birth (5.33 [4.17–6.82]), older maternal age (1.59 [1.24–2.05]), and primiparous mothers (1.88 [1.06–3.34]). For LGA newborns, the risk factors were female sex (2.72 [5.51–2.95]), overweight (1.33 [1.22–2.46]) and obesity (1.85 [1.66–2.07]). Conclusions: the distribution of birth size and the factors related to its variability in Jujuy are found to be strongly conditioned by provincial terrain and the clinal variation due to its Andean location.Fil: Martinez, Jorge Ivan. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; ArgentinaFil: Figueroa, Marcelo Isidro. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Estudios Celulares, Genéticos y Moleculares; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Carrión, José Miguel. Universidad de Murcia; EspañaFil: Alfaro Gómez, Emma Laura. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Dipierri, Jose Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Biología de la Altura; Argentin

Prevention of Bone Loss in a Model of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis through Adrenomedullin Inhibition

Despite recent advances in the understanding and treatment options for osteoporosis, this condition remains a serious public health issue. Adrenomedullin (AM) is a regulatory peptide with reported activity on bone remodeling. To better understand this relationship we built an inducible knockout for AM. An outstanding feature of knockout mice is their heavier weight due, in part, to the presence of denser bones. The femur of knockout animals was denser, had more trabeculae, and a thicker growth plate than wild type littermates. The endocrine influence of AM on bone seems to be elicited through an indirect mechanism involving, at least, the regulation of insulin, glucose, ghrelin, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). To confirm the data we performed a pharmacological approach using the AM inhibitor 16311 in a mouse model of osteoporosis. Ovariectomized females showed significant bone mass loss, whereas ovariectomized females treated with 16311 had similar bone density to sham operated females. In conclusion, we propose the use of AM inhibitors for the treatment of osteoporosis and other conditions leading to the loss of bone mass

Procedure for Improving the Energy, Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Transformation Houses

[EN] A procedure for improving the energy, economic and environmental sustainability of the transformation houses in low-voltage distribution networks is described in this paper. This procedure is based on the reduction of the transformer consumption, copper and core losses. Likewise, the procedure distinguishes between transformation houses with old and new transformers. The reduction of core losses, replacing transformers with others of lower power or that are more efficient, achieves significant improvements in energy and environmental aspects. The reduction of copper losses, and applying reactive compensation techniques, such as harmonic filtering and load balancing, applied in old and new transformation houses, have a greater impact on cost savings, especially when there are capacitive consumptions, as the Circular 3/2020 of the National Markets and Competition Commission of Spain determines. The procedure has been applied to an industrial transformation house, which has an old 1600 kVA transformer, resulting in significant economic savings and CO2 reductions of more than 60%, after replacing the current transformer with a more efficient one.This research was funded by Generalitat Valenciana (grant number GV/2021/149) and the H2020 project SMEmPower (grant number 847132). The APC was funded by Generalitat Valenciana.León-Martínez, V.; Peñalvo-López, E.; Andrada-Monrós, C.; Cano-Martinez, J.; Leon-Vinet, A.; Molina-Cañamero, L. (2022). Procedure for Improving the Energy, Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Transformation Houses. Applied Sciences. 12(9):1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/app1209420412212