Correlations between historical climate data and incidents of common bunt in Spanish wheat, 1755-1801

From 1755 to 1801 in Spain, many articles and reports were written about common bunt, a seed-borne plague that was difficult to control at the time. The objective of the study is to better understand this plague and the relationship between historical rainfall indexes and years of higher reported outbreaks. We compared documentary sources on extreme rain events and annual series of wheat prices in four locations (Murcia, Seville, Toledo, and Zamora) with data from articles about the bunt plague. Increased severity of common bunt in wheat coincided with a concentration of such events, during a period of severe climatic irregularity known as the Maldà Anomaly. However, the cause-and-effect relationship for proxies of historical weather, price volatility and bunt plague was only significant in Seville. A complementary factor that explains the abundance of literature was access to agricultural articles and books from France, where the common bunt also existed. The first experiments to understand the plague and how to control it were performed there. These events are framed in the Spanish Enlightenment and early physiocratic ideas advocating the importance of agriculture in maintaining the wealth of a country.Durante 1755-1801 existen bastantes artículos e informes sobre el tizón del trigo en España, una plaga trasmitida por semilla y de difícil control en esa época. El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer la importancia de esta plaga en esta época, incluida su relación con indicadores históricos de lluvia y los años descritos con mayores ataques. Para ello, se relacionaron registros documentales de lluvias extremas y series anuales de precios de trigo en cuatro localidades (Murcia, Sevilla, Toledo y Zamora) con datos de las descripciones de epifitias de tizón de los artículos. La mayor severidad del tizón del trigo coincidió con una concentración de episodios de lluvia excesiva, en un periodo de fuerte irregularidad climática conocido como anomalía Maldà, aunque la relación causa-efecto entre indicadores de tiempo atmosférico histórico, precio del grano y la plaga solo fue significativa en Sevilla. Otro factor complementario que explica la abundancia de estos artículos sobre el tizón fue una conexión con artículos y libros de agricultura procedentes de Francia, donde también existía el tizón, y donde se realizaron los primeros experimentos para entender la plaga y su control. Todas estas circunstancias se engloban dentro del periodo de la Ilustración española y en el inicio de las ideas fisiocráticas que propugnaban la importancia de la agricultura para mantener la riqueza de un país

The preservation of the architectural heritage of the twentieth century: the laminar structures of reinforced concrete.

The beginning of the 20th century brought a new typology of architecture based on the use of geometrical laws of nature, the use of a new material such as reinforced concrete, and the use of plastic calculus as a tool to mold continuous, adirectional structures, such as the long cylindrical shells of Eduardo Torroja or the hyperbolic paraboloids shells of Felix Candela. This type of architecture allowed the creation of large diaphanous spaces of great plastic beauty due to its close connection with the laws of nature that generates them. Little more than 100 years later we see how the necessary legal protection has not been given to these buildings to consider them part of the heritage and we are witnessing a process of disappearance of most of the structures that have defined an important period of modern architecture. From this research we have made an inventory of the main structures made with these techniques and their state of preservation today and the possible measures for their possible rehabilitation, and real or virtual reconstruction through the use of digital tools, 3D scanners or lifting using photography, and especially its inclusion in the catalogs of buildings that are part of the architectural and cultural heritage. The process culminates with the possible construction on a real scale of the models lost by digital manufacturing systems or the diffusion through augmented reality

Propuesta de diseño de superficies como método de estimulación visual para niños menores de un año

Investigación enfocada en el análisis y exploración de una aplicación del Diseño de superficies, que no esté orientado a lo decorativo. En este proyecto se recopila información bibliográfica sobre fundamentos del diseño y métodos de estimulación. Al mismo tiempo, una serie de entrevistas con especialistas en el área de pediatría, motion graphics y semiótica. Todo con el fin de producir una pieza gráfica (vídeo) de aproximadamente 4 minutos, en la que se apliquen todos los términos recopilados en la investigación.Tesis de final de carrera, para optar al título de Licenciado en Diseño Gráfic

Basketball retirement : process and outcomes

Retirement from a sport career represents a turning point in the life of a sportsman. The aim of this study was to determine how the process of withdrawal of professional basketball players and the factors that influence it. Using a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 professional players focusing on their experiences during the process. Analysis of the interviews revealed the need to treat this process from a multidimensional perspective, as several factors interact. The results obtained show that the players assign great importance to the economic, academic and adjustment difficulties. Consequently, we discuss the need for specific assistance programs for these athletes, regardless of their previous professional level

Elogio al neogótico. Resonancias entre Viollet-le-Duc, Satie y Debussy

Música y arquitectura son dos grandes artes cultivadas desde hace milenios por el hombre. La creación de una pieza musical, cuidadosamente concebida, guarda una inevitable similitud con la edificación de una gran construcción, con la selección de materiales muy concretos. ¿Será entonces que los arquitectos tienen una parte inequívoca de músicos? ¿O será que lo músicos construyen en sus obras del mismo modo que nosotros edificamos?Situaremos el foco y toda nuestra atención en la Francia del siglo XIX, donde grandes personalidades como el arquitecto Viollet-le-Duc o los músicos Erik Satie y Claude Debussy trascendieron a los anales de la historia. Mediante un análisis exhaustivo, descubriremos aspectos muy interesantes en dos de las obras musicales más importantes de estos autores y que guardan una referencia directa a la arquitectura; Quatre Ogives de Satie y La Cathédrale Engloutie de Debussy y las pondremos en relación con la más imponente de las obras de restauración encargadas a Viollet-le-Duc: la catedral de Notre-Dame de París.<br /

Microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 is involved in the metabolic and cardiovascular alterations associated with obesity

Background and Purpose: Microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) is an inducible isomerase responsible for prostaglandin E2 production in inflammatory con ditions. We evaluated the role of mPGES-1 in the development and the metabolic and cardiovascular alterations of obesity. Experimental Approach: mPGES-1+/+ and mPGES-1 / mice were fed with normal or high fat diet (HFD, 60% fat). The glycaemic and lipid profile was evaluated by glu cose and insulin tolerance tests and colorimetric assays. Vascular function, structure and mechanics were assessed by myography. Histological studies, q-RT-PCR, and western blot analyses were performed in adipose tissue depots and cardiovascular tissues. Gene expression in abdominal fat and perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) from patients was correlated with vascular damage. Key Results: Male mPGES-1 / mice fed with HFD were protected against body weight gain and showed reduced adiposity, better glucose tolerance and insulin sensi tivity, lipid levels and less white adipose tissue and PVAT inflammation and fibrosis, compared with mPGES-1+/+ mice. mPGES-1 knockdown prevented cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, endothelial dysfunction, aortic insulin resistance, and vascular inflammation and remodelling, induced by HFD. Obesity-induced weight gain and endothelial dysfunction of resistance arteries were ameliorated in female mPGES-1 / mice. In humans, we found a positive correlation between mPGES-1 expression in abdominal fat and vascular remodelling, vessel stiffness, and systolic blood pressure. In human PVAT, there was a positive correlation between mPGES-1 expression and inflammatory markers. Conclusions and Implications: mPGES-1 inhibition might be a novel therapeutic approach to the management of obesity and the associated cardiovascular and meta bolic alterations

Funciones ejecutivas en estudiantes universitarios que presentan bajo y alto rendimiento académico

This research was aimed at finding the possible relationship between bad academic achievements and deficit of some executive functions in a group of university students. The state of the executive functions was explored in students obtaining low and students obtaining high academic achievements. The research was conducted following a descriptive transectional design. The results of the research were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). They showed that, in general, concerning the state of the executive functions there are no significant differences between the students with low and those with high academic achievements. Thus, they showed that academic achievements are not directly related to the state of executive skills, but more specifically to the students’ language skills and their family, personal and academic backgrounds.Esta investigación se propuso encontrar la posible relación entre el rendimiento académico y la ausencia de ciertas habilidades cognoscitivas denominadas desde la neuropsicología como funciones ejecutivas, en un grupo de estudiantes universitarios. Se exploró entonces el estado de las funciones ejecutivas en estudiantes universitarios que presentaban bajo y alto rendimiento académico. El diseño utilizado en esta investigación fue el transeccional descriptivo. El análisis de los resultados se hizo utilizando el paquete estadístico Statistical Package for Social Sciences (spss). Estos mostraron que, en general, no existen diferencias significativas entre los estudiantes de bajo y alto rendimiento académico. Es decir, mostraron que el rendimiento académico no está directamente relacionado con déficits a nivel de las habilidades ejecutivas, pero sí podría estarlo a nivel del lenguaje y de los antecedentes familiares, psicológicos y académicos en estos estudiantes

Determination of a lectin protein allergen in food by on-line aptamer affinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

An aptamer affinity sorbent was prepared for clean-up, preconcentration, separation and characterization of a food allergen protein by on-line aptamer affinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (AA-SPE-CE-MS). SPE microcartridges were packed with a sorbent based on magnetic bead particles modified with an aptamer against the target lectin protein concanavalin A (Con A). After optimization of several parameters of the SPE-CE-MS method, the sample (ca. 30 µL) was loaded in separation background electrolyte (BGE, 2 M acetic acid pH 2.2), while the retained protein was eluted with 100 mM NH4OH (pH 11.2) (ca. 100 nL). The developed method was linear between 0.5 and 20 mg·L-1 and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.25 mg·L-1, which was 100 times lower than by CE-MS. The repeatability of the method was satisfactory, with relative standard deviations (RSD) for migration times and peak areas below 1.9 and 8.1%, respectively. In addition, the microcartridges could be reused more than 25 analyses without significant loss of extraction efficiency. Finally, the applicability and versatility of the developed method were demonstrated by analyzing low levels of Con A in different food matrices (i.e. white beans, as well as chickpea, lentils, and wheat flours), leading to satisfactory results, with recoveries between 87 and 115%

Accurate determination of the milk protein allergen β-lactoglobulin by on-line aptamer affinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

An on-line aptamer affinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (AA-SPE-CE-MS) method was developed to purify, preconcentrate, separate, and characterize the milk allergenic protein β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) in food samples. The sorbent to pack into the SPE microcartidges was prepared by immobilizing an aptamer against β-LG onto magnetic bead particles. After optimizing the SPE-CE-MS method, the sample (ca. 75 µL) was loaded in separation background electrolyte (BGE, 2 M acetic acid pH 2.2), while a solution of 100 mM NH4OH (pH 11.2) (ca. 100 nL) was used for the protein elution. The linearity of the method ranged between 0.1 and 20 µg·mL-1 and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.05 µg·mL-1, which was 200 times lower than by CE-MS. The method was repeatable in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD) for migration times and peak areas (< 0.5 % and 2.4 %, respectively) and microcartridge lifetime was more than 25 analyses. The applicability of the method for the determination of low levels of β-LG was shown by analyzing milk-free foods (i.e. a 100 % cocoa dark chocolate, a hypoallergenic formula for infants, and a dairy-free white bread) and milk-containing white breads. Results were satisfactory in all cases, thus demonstrating the great potential of the developed method for accurate food safety and quality control