A methodological proposal and tool support for the HL7 standards compliance in the development of health information systems

Health information systems are increasingly complex, and their development is presented as a challenge for software development companies offering quality, maintainable and interoperable products. HL7 (Health level 7) International, an international non-profit organization, defines and maintains standards related to health information systems. However, the modelling languages proposed by HL7 are far removed from standard languages and widely known by software engineers. In these lines, NDT is a software development methodology that has a support tool called NDT-Suite and is based, on the one hand, on the paradigm of model-driven engineering and, on the other hand, in UML that is a widely recognized standard language. This paper proposes an extension of the NDT methodology called MoDHE (Model Driven Health Engineering) to offer software engineers a methodology capable of modelling health information systems conforming to HL7 using UML domain models

Catálogo de la flora vascular del Cerro del Toruño (Comarca de Los Alcores, Alcalá de Guadaíra, Sevilla)

Situado en la comarca de Los Alcores, el Cerro del Toruño es un cabezo calcarenítico incluido en el área metropolitana de Sevilla. Se encuentra protegido por la normativa provincial por el valor y naturalidad de su vegetación. El objetivo del presente estudio es la catalogación de su flora y su puesta en valor como reducto de vegetación natural en un paisaje fuertemente antropizado. Se han inventariado un total de 351 especies, 324 de ellas autóctonas, de las que tres están recogidas en la lista roja andaluza. El catálogo incluye 4 novedades corológicas de especies nativas a nivel provincial y 16 a nivel comarcal. La diversidad encontrada en la zona de estudio es comparable a la de zonas cercanas, dada la heterogeneidad de sus hábitats. Se comentan brevemente las comunidades vegetales de acebuchar, palmitar y matorral xerófilo sobre roquedos calcareníticos, en las que se ha observado un mejor grado de conservación. Finalmente se discute la importancia biogeográfica de los Alcores como isla edáfica tanto para especies calcícolas como psammófilas y litorales, dado el carácter mayoritariamente arcilloso de la Depresión del Guadalquivir.Checklist of vascular flora of the Toruño hill (Alcores region, Alcalá de Guadaira, Seville). Located in Los Alcores region, the Cerro del Toruño is a calcarenitic hill included in Sevilla’s metropolitan area. It is protected by provincial regulations due to the value and naturalness of its vegetation. The aim of this study is to catalogue its flora and highlight its importance as a patch of relict natural vegetation within a strongly anthropic landscape. We recorded 351 species, of which 324 are native and three included in the Andalusian red list. The checklist includes 4 new chorological records at the provincial level and 16 at the regional level. Species diversity is comparable to nearby areas, given its habitat heterogeneity. The wild olive copse, Mediterranean fan palm formations, and xerophilous scrublands on calcarenitic rocks display a better conservation situation and are briefly commented. Finally, we discuss the biogeographic importance of Los Alcores region as an edaphic island, surrounded by the mostly clayey Guadalquivir valley, for calcicolous and coastal sand species

Three newly described species of carex sect. fecundae (cyperaceae) from Central America and typification of two related names

Three new species of Carex sect. Fecundae (Cyperaceae) are described from Central America. Carex orothanatica from Costa Rica, Carex siguanabae occurring in El Salvador and Honduras, and Carex via-aquae from Costa Rica and Panama. The three new species are compared with relatives. In addition, two related names, Carex lehmanniana Boott, and C. lehmaniana var. simplex Kük., are lectotypifie

How to Improve Visual Acuity in Keratoconic Cornea?

Keratoconus is one of the most important corneal diseases that causes preventable blindness, so we decided to review the main techniques for improving visual acuity in patients with progressive and nonprogressive keratoconus, in order to expand knowledge in relation to the range of therapeutic possibilities that exist today and the benefits and risks of each of these alternatives

El Tesauro de Patrimonio Histórico de Andalucía

La gestión Patrimonial ha adquirido en los últimos años gran importancia [7]. El interés tanto cultural como turístico que este sector ha despertado ha hecho necesario que se desarrollen sistemas de información que se difundan a través de la web para acercar la información del patrimonio al público [5]. Este trabajo presenta el resultado del desarrollo conjunto realizado por el Grupo Madeira de la Universidad de Sevilla y el Instituto Andaluz de Patrimonio Histórico [6] para desarrollar un tesauro de Patrimonio Histórico que se difunda a través de la web. Este Tesauro forma parte de un sistema mayor denominado Sistema de Información del Patrimonio Histórico de Andalucía (SIPHA) [10] que se está desarrollando actualmente como una gran biblioteca digital para la difusión de la información del Patrimonio Histórico Andaluz

The study of ornamental plants: a form of meaningful learning of plant diversity and botanical classifications

El conocimiento de la biodiversidad y las clasificaciones biológicas es uno de los objetivos más difíciles de alcanzar en la enseñanza de las ciencias de la vida. La razón más comúnmente esgrimida es que dicho conocimiento está basado en un desarrollo memorístico carente de aprendizaje significativo, cuyo interés se aleja de cualquier aplicación técnica o práctica. La implantación de especialidades relacionadas con la Jardinería en los estudios de Agronomía y Arquitectura del Paisaje permite desarrollar programas de aprendizaje sobre la diversidad de especies vegetales ornamentales y su uso en los jardines, que constituyen formas de aprendizaje significativo de las clasificaciones botánicas y la diversidad vegetal con apoyo de una aplicación técnica. Un ejemplo lo constituye la asignatura “Botánica Ornamental”, de reciente incorporación a los Planes de Estudio de Ingeniería Agronómica de la Universidad de Sevilla. En ella se desarrollan objetivos específicos basados en aquellos criterios biológicos que permiten realizar una selección adecuada de las especies vegetales para los jardines y desarrollar una comprensión de sus características de cultivo. En el presente trabajo se presenta una forma experimental de abordar esta asignatura en la que se relacionan caracteres morfológicos de las especies con su función y valor ornamentales, se explican condiciones y posibilidades de cultivo a partir del conocimiento biogeográfico y ecológico de los grupos, se justifica el uso de la nomenclatura científica a través de la necesidad de identificar correctamente especies ornamentales y sus cultivares, y se relaciona la biodiversidad con la disponibilidad de especies ornamentales y su adecuación a las distintas formas de jardinería. Esta convergencia de criterios permite establecer un amplio paralelismo entre Jardinería y Sistemática que sirve de soporte para el desarrollo tanto del programa teórico como el práctico. El resultado está avalado por una alta valoración de la signatura por parte de los alumnos.Knowledge on Biodiversity and Biological Classifications is one of the most difficult objectives to achieve in the teaching of Life Sciences. The most common argument is that such knowledge is based on rote development devoid of meaningful learning, whose interest is far from any technical or practical application. The implementation of specialties related to Gardening in the studies of Agronomy and Landscape Architecture enables the development of learning programs on ornamental plant diversity and its use in the gardens, which are forms of meaningful learning of botanical classification and plant diversity supported by a technical application. A valuable example is the subject "Ornamental Botany," which has recently been incorporated to the Curriculum of Agricultural Engineering, University of Seville. It develops specific goals based on biological information to make a proper selection of plant species for gardens and understand the basic aspects of their cultural characteristics. The rationale lies in the following: it is related morphological characters of the species with ornamental value and function, possibilities of growing conditions are explained based on biogeographical and ecological knowledge of the groups, the use of scientific nomenclature is justified through the need to correctly identify species and ornamental cultivars, and biodiversity relates to the availability of ornamental species and cultivars and their suitability for different forms of gardening. This convergence of criteria allows for a broad parallel between Garden Science and Systematics, which supports the development of both theoretical and practical program. The result is supported by a high value of the signature by the students

Oxidative stress is tightly regulated by cytochrome c phosphorylation and respirasome factors in mitochondria

Respiratory cytochrome c has been found to be phosphorylated at tyrosine 97 in the postischemic brain upon neuroprotective insulin treatment, but how such posttranslational modification affects mitochondrial metabolism is unclear. Here, we report the structural features and functional behavior of a phosphomimetic cytochrome c mutant, which was generated by site-specific incorporation at position 97 of p-carboxymethyl-l-phenylalanine using the evolved tRNA synthetase method. We found that the point mutation does not alter the overall folding and heme environment of cytochrome c, but significantly affects the entire oxidative phosphorylation process. In fact, the electron donation rate of the mutant heme protein to cytochrome c oxidase, or complex IV, within respiratory supercomplexes was higher than that of the wild-type species, in agreement with the observed decrease in reactive oxygen species production. Direct contact of cytochrome c with the respiratory supercomplex factor HIGD1A (hypoxia-inducible domain family member 1A) is reported here, with the mutant heme protein exhibiting a lower affinity than the wild-type species. Interestingly, phosphomimetic cytochrome c also exhibited a lower caspase-3 activation activity. Altogether, these findings yield a better understanding of the molecular basis for mitochondrial metabolism in acute diseases, such as brain ischemia, and thus could allow the use of phosphomimetic cytochrome c as a neuroprotector with therapeutic applications.España, Junta de Andalucía BIO-198España MINECO BFU2015-71017/BM

Use of Principal Component Analysis to Combine Genetic Merit for Heat Stress and for Fat and Protein Yield in Spanish Autochthonous Dairy Goat Breeds

We studied the effect of the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) (i.e., the average of temperature and relative humidity registered at meteorological stations) closest to the farms taken during the test day (TD), for total daily protein and fat yields (fpy) of the three main Spanish dairy goats. The data were from Florida (11,244 animals and 126,825 TD), Malagueña (12,215 animals and 141,856 TD) and Murciano Granadina (5162 animals and 62,834 TD) breeding programs and were studied by different linear models to estimate the nature of the fpy response throughout the THI and the weeks of lactation (Days in Milk, DIM) trajectories. The results showed an antagonism between THI and DIM, with a marked depression in the fpy level in animals kept in the hot zone of the THI values (THI > 25) compared with those in the cold zone (THI ≤ 16), with a negative impact equivalent to production of 13 to 30 days. We used a Reaction Norm model (RN), including THI and DIM as fixed covariates and a Test Day Model (TDM), to estimate the genetic (co)variance components. The heritability and genetic correlations estimated with RN and TDM showed a decreased pattern along the scale of THI and DIM, with slight differences between breeds, meaning that there was significant genetic variability in the animal’s ability to react to different levels of THI, which is not constant throughout the DIM, showing the existence of genotype-environment interaction. The breeding values (BV) of all animals for each level of THI and DIM were subject to a principal component analysis, and the results showed that 89 to 98% of the variance between the BV was explained by the two first eigenvalues. The standardized BV were weighted with the corresponding eigenvector coefficients to construct an index that showed, in a single indicator, the most complete expression of the existing genetic variability in the animals’ ability to produce fpy along the trajectories of THI and DIM. This new option will make it easier to select animals which are more productive, and with better adaptability to heat stress, as well as enabling us to exploit genetic variations in the form of the response to heat stress to be adapted to different production systems

An Evolutionary Study of Carex Subg. Psyllophorae (Cyperaceae) Sheds Light on a Strikingly Disjunct Distribution in the Southern Hemisphere, With Emphasis on Its Patagonian Diversification

Carex subgenus Psyllophorae is an engaging study group due to its early diversification compared to most Carex lineages, and its remarkable disjunct distribution in four continents corresponding to three independent sections: sect. Psyllophorae in Western Palearctic, sect. Schoenoxiphium in Afrotropical region, and sect. Junciformes in South America (SA) and SW Pacific. The latter section is mainly distributed in Patagonia and the Andes, where it is one of the few Carex groups with a significant in situ diversification. We assess the role of historical geo-climatic events in the evolutionary history of the group, particularly intercontinental colonization events and diversification processes, with an emphasis on SA. We performed an integrative study using phylogenetic (four DNA regions), divergence times, diversification rates, biogeographic reconstruction, and bioclimatic niche evolution analyses. The crown age of subg. Psyllophorae (early Miocene) supports this lineage as one of the oldest within Carex. The diversification rate probably decreased over time in the whole subgenus. Geography seems to have played a primary role in the diversification of subg. Psyllophorae. Inferred divergence times imply a diversification scenario away from primary Gondwanan vicariance hypotheses and suggest long-distance dispersal-mediated allopatric diversification. Section Junciformes remained in Northern Patagonia since its divergence until Plio-Pleistocene glaciations. Andean orogeny appears to have acted as a northward corridor, which contrasts with the general pattern of North-to-South migration for temperate-adapted organisms. A striking niche conservatism characterizes the evolution of this section. Colonization of the SW Pacific took place on a single long-distance dispersal event from SA. The little ecological changes involved in the trans-Pacific disjunction imply the preadaptation of the group prior to the colonization of the SW Pacific. The high species number of the section results from simple accumulation of morphological changes (disparification), rather than shifts in ecological niche related to increased diversification rates (radiation).Fil: Benítez Benítez, Carmen. Universidad Pablo de Olavide; EspañaFil: Otero, Ana. Field Museum of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: Ford, Kerry A.. Manaaki-Whenua Landcare Research; Nueva ZelandaFil: García Moro, Pablo. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Donadío, Sabina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; ArgentinaFil: Luceño, Modesto. Universidad Pablo de Olavide; EspañaFil: Martín Bravo, Santiago. Universidad Pablo de Olavide; EspañaFil: Jiménez-Mejías, Pedro. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Españ