A regionalised life cycle assessment model to globally assess the environmental implications of soil salinization in irrigated agriculture

We present a global, locally resolved life cycle assessment (LCA) model to assess the potential effects on soil quality due to the accumulation of water-soluble salts in the agricultural soil profile, allowing differentiation between agricultural practices. Using globally available soil and climate information and crop specific salt tolerances, the model quantifies the negative implications that salts in irrigation water have on soil quality, in terms of change in the soil electrical conductivity and the corresponding change in the amount of crops that can be grown at increasing soil salinity levels. To facilitate the use of the model, we provide a life cycle inventory tool with information on salts emitted with irrigation water per country and 160 crops. Global average soil susceptibility is 0.19 dS/m per grams of salt in 1 m3 of soil, and the average resulting relative crop diversity loss is 5.7 × 10–2 per grams of salt in 1 m3 of soil. These average values vary tangibly as a function of the location. In most humid regions worldwide, the characterization factor is null, showing that in these cases soil salinization due to irrigation does not contribute to soil degradation. We displayed how to apply the model with a case study. The model serves for guiding decision-making processes toward improving the sustainability of irrigated agriculture.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

On the mechanism of Candida tropicalis biofilm reduction by the combined action of naturally-occurring anthraquinones and blue light

The photoprocesses involved in the photo-induced Candida tropicalis biofilm reduction by two natural anthraquinones (AQs), rubiadin (1) and rubiadin-1-methyl ether (2), were examined.Production of singlet oxygen (1O2) and of superoxide radical anion (O2·−) was studied. Although it was not possible to detect the triplet state absorption of any AQs in biofilms, observation of 1O2 phosphorescence incubated with deuterated Phosphate Buffer Solution, indicated that this species is actually formed in biofilms. 2 was accumulated in the biofilm to a greater extent than 1 and produced measurable amounts of O2·− after 3h incubation in biofilms.The effect of reactive oxygen species scavengers on the photo-induced biofilm reduction showed that Tiron (a specific O2 ·− scavenger) is most effective than sodium azide (a specific 1O2 quencher). This suggests that O2 ·− formed by electron transfer quenching of the AQs excited states, is the main photosensitizing mechanism involved in the photoinducedantibiofilm activity, whereas 1O2 participation seems of lesser importance.Fil: Marioni, Juliana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Bresolí Obach, Roger. Universitat Ramon Llull; EspañaFil: Agut, Montserrat. Universitat Ramon Llull; EspañaFil: Comini, Laura Raquel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Cabrera, Jose Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Paraje, María Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Nonell, Santi. Universitat Ramon Llull; EspañaFil: Núñez Montoya, Susana Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentin

Habilidades informacionales integradas en los grados de edificación y geomática (EPSEB-UPC): caso práctico de cooperación entre docentes y bibliotecarios

Se expone el caso práctico de la colaboración entre PDI y PAS de biblioteca para la impartición del itinerario competencial en Habilidades Informacionales en los grados de la Escola Politècnica Superior d'Edificació de Barcelona (EPSEB). Docentes y bibliotecarios diseñan conjuntamente actividades que contemplan sesiones taller especializadas, cursos “ad-hoc” y cursos de contenidos transversales de complejidad progresiva integrados en asignaturas obligatorias. Los contenidos se adaptan a cada asignatura implicada en el itinerario y se da una orientación práctica para captar el interés de los alumnos. Coordinados por el Servei General de Biblioteques de la UPC, los bibliotecarios desarrollan material didáctico de apoyo y valoran los resultados conjuntamente de forma periódica para proponer mejoras. Las actividades se imparten en modalidad presencial y semipresencial. Así mismo, la biblioteca imparte formación al profesorado conducente tanto a desarrollar su faceta investigadora como a dinamizar la docencia en el aula. La experiencia en sesiones formativas desde el año 2000 y la buena acogida por parte de del profesorado y el estudiantado, avalan la puesta en marcha del itinerario a partir de septiembre 2009.Postprint (author's final draft

Vitrification during the Isothermal Cure of Thermosets: Comparison of Theoretical Simulations with Temperature-Modulated DSC and Dielectric Analysis

Vitrification during the isothermal cure of a thermoset, which is monitored by dynamic techniques such as temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) or dielectric analysis (DEA), is analyzed in terms of its dependence on frequency. A simulation was used to obtain the vitrification time as a function of frequency, considering it as the time when the (frequency-dependent) glass transition temperature, Tg, of the curing system reaches the cure temperature. Simulations were carried out at different cure temperatures. Other parameters, such as the exponents (reaction orders) in the Kamal equation, l in the DiBenedetto equation (controlling the dependence of Tg on the degree of cure), and the activation energy for the frequency dependence of Tg, were also considered. The results are compared with those obtained experimentally by a TMDSC technique at low frequencies and by DEA at high frequencies. From the simulations it is found that the vitrification time decreases nonlinearly with log(frequency) in the low frequency range but approaches a linear dependence at high frequencies, in agreement with experimental data.Peer ReviewedPostprin

Personalized medicine in acromegaly: The ACROFAST study

Artículo escrito por un elevado número de autores, solo se referencian el que aparece en primer lugar, el nombre del grupo de colaboración, si le hubiere, y los autores pertenecientes a la UAMContext: Medical treatment of acromegaly is currently performed through a trial-and-error approach using first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (fgSRLs) as first-line drugs, with an effectiveness of about 50%, and subsequent drugs are indicated through clinical judgment. Some biomarkers can predict fgSRLs response. Objective: Here we report the results of the ACROFAST study, a clinical trial in which a protocol based on predictive biomarkers of fgSRLs was evaluated. Methods: This was a prospective trial (21 university hospitals) comparing the effectiveness and time-to-control of 2 treatment protocols during 12 months: (A) a personalized protocol in which the first options were fgSRLs as monotherapy or in combination with pegvisomant, or pegvisomant as monotherapy depending on the short acute octreotide test (sAOT) results, tumor T2 magnetic resonance (MRI) signal or immunostaining for E-cadherin; and (B) a control group with treatment always started by fgSRLs and the other drugs included after demonstrating inadequate control. Results: Eighty-five patients participated; 45 in the personalized and 40 in the control group. More patients in the personalized protocol achieved hormonal control compared to those in the control group (78% vs 53%, P < .05). Survival analysis revealed a hazard ratio for achieving hormonal control adjusted by age and sex of 2.53 (CI, 1.30-4.80). Patients from the personalized arm were controlled in a shorter period of time (P = .01). Conclusion: Personalized medicine is feasible using a relatively simple protocol, and it allows a higher number of patients to achieve control in a shorter period of timeThis research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III grant PMP15/00027, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund - European Union; and PMP22/00021, funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU, both to Manel Puig-Domingo, and partially supported by the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutritio

La responsabilidad social en el mapa estratégico de las universidades públicas

Los cambios acaecidos en los últimos años en el entorno socio-económico y cultural global, determinan la necesidad de una rápida adaptación de la Universidad que pone a prueba sus rígidas estructuras. La dimensión social del proceso de Bolonia debe considerarse desde una perspectiva estratégica, es decir, debe analizarse la repercusión que, las políticas correctoras de las deficiencias detectadas por los grupos de interés, tienen en relación con el desarrollo de la misión de las universidades. El desarrollo actual del concepto de Responsabilidad Social y de los modelos de divulgación de la misma, son una oportunidad para incorporar los aspectos sociales del proceso de cambio dado que se incluyen dentro de la triple perspectiva. En este sentido debemos estudiar la dimensión social desde un marco más amplio que es la Responsabilidad Social de la Universidad. La misión de la Universidad está definida en la mayor parte de los casos en términos de Responsabilidad Social, sin embargo las herramientas de control interno no explican la relación entre los factores claves de la responsabilidad social y el grado de cumplimento de su misión, por ello proponemos un mapa estratégico que muestre las relaciones causales de los factores que inciden en dicho cumplimient

Análisis de la evolución de la economía venezolana y el socialismo bolivariano.

La presente investigación enfatiza los principales indicadores macroeconómicos que advierten una depresión económica en Venezuela entre el 2003 y el 2020. Básicamente, se busca analizar desde el origen de la crisis económica venezolana hasta la situación actual involucrando dos períodos: El primero que va desde el 2003 al 2013, dentro del mandato de Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías caracterizado por una expansión fiscal y sobrevaluación. Y una segunda etapa a partir del 2013 hasta la actualidad, bajo el mandato de Nicolás Maduro Moros, caracterizado por una inestabilidad económica y un decrecimiento de la economía venezolana. En este sentido, se reseñan cuatro crisis durante estos períodos, como son la crisis política, la crisis económica, la crisis social y la crisis humanitaria, las cuales han derivado en problemas de deuda pública y déficit, caída de los ingresos a causa de la petrodependencia, un descenso en los precios del petróleo y la caída de la producción y exportación de petróleo, la fuga de capitales, un control de precios, y el exceso de Gasto Público. Los principales indicadores macroeconómicos que se analizan son la tasa de crecimiento del PIB, el índice de precios al consumidor (IPC) e inflación, la fortaleza y estabilidad de la moneda, el mercado laboral y el precio de las materias primas, siendo éstos importantes como mecanismo retrospectivo que refleja el comportamiento histórico de la economía venezolana, y necesarios para profundizar en las últimas decisiones de Nicolás Maduro dirigidas a levantar la Economía venezolana mediante una Nueva Moneda denominada Petrobolívar y los bonos de ayudas para familias.<br /

Compensation of inorganic acid interferences in ICP-OES and ICP-MS using a Flow Blurring® multinebulizer

A new and easy method has been proposed for compensation of inorganic acid matrix effects in ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The method consists on an on-line standard addition calibration using a Flow Blurring® multinebulizer (FBMN-based system). Experimental conditions of the FBMN-based system are optimized for both ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Under optimized conditions recovery values obtained in the analysis of synthetic acid samples were close to 100% for HNO3 and HCl (with acid concentrations of up to 15% (w w-1)) and H2SO4 (up to 10% (w w-1)) for both plasma-based spectrochemical techniques. The applicability of the proposed method has been evaluated analyzing two whole milk powders, certified reference material and a commercial product, showing excellent recovery values. Compared with other calibration strategies and experimental setups used, the on-line standard addition calibration using the FBMN-based system is faster, easier to handle and significantly reduces reagents and sample consumption.The authors express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects n. CTQ2008 06730-C02-01 and PHB-2010-0018-PC), to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior in Brazil (Grant CAPES-DGU 243/11), and the Regional Government of Valencia (Spain) (projects n. ACOMP/2009/144 and ACOMP/2010/047) for financial support. The authors gratefully acknowledge OneNeb® (Division of Ingeniatrics Tecnologías S.L.) for the FBMN prototype provided. M.A.A. thanks the University of Alicante for his PhD fellowship. This work is part of the Ph.D. degree of M.A.A

Aerosol generation of As and Se hydrides using a new Flow Blurring® multiple nebulizer for sample introduction in inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A new Flow Blurring® multiple nebulizer (FBMN) has been used for the efficient generation of As and Se hydrides directly into the aerosol formed inside the spray chamber before detection by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The FBMN allowed the hydride generation directly into the spray chamber without using any additional device either for solution and gas control or for gas phase separation. Synthetic solutions containing As and Se plus Ca, Mg and K were used for evaluating matrix effects and Ge was suggested as internal standard. Limits of detection of 2.7 and 5.8 μg L− 1 were obtained for As and Se, respectively, when keeping the nebulization gas flow rate at 0.60 L min− 1 and the liquid flow rate at 0.67 mL min− 1. The developed procedure was applied for spiked digests of food samples and quantitative recoveries were attained. The combination of FBMN, internal standard and hydride generation is a robust and simple approach for generating As and Se hydrides directly into the aerosol.The authors express their gratitude to the Spanish Government (Grant CTQ2008-06730-C02-01, CTQ2011-23968 and PHB-2010-0018-PC) and to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior in Brazil (Grant CAPES-DGU 243/11) for financial support

Effect of the mixing ratio on the composting of OFMSW digestate: assessment of compost quality

This study presents the results obtained in compostability tests of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) digestate. The final aim was to obtain mature compost without phytotoxic effects. For the evaluation of the composting process, a novel parameter describing the performance of the composting process, the relative heat generation standardized with the initial volatile solid content (RHGVS(0)), was defined and evaluated at laboratory-scale. From these laboratory-scale test, the optimum operational conditions were obtained, a mixing ratio (v/v) of 1:1:0 (bulking agent:digestate:co-substrate) and with 15% of mature compost as inoculum. Subsequently, these optimum operational conditions were applied in the active phase of the composting pilot-scale reactor. The active composting stage took 7 days, subsequently a curing phase of 60 days was carried out at ambient conditions. After 30 days of curing, the mature compost showed a specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) of 0.14 mg O-2/g VS center dot h, a germination index (GI) of 99.63% and a low volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration (41.3 AcH mg/kg(dm)), being indicative of the good compost stability and maturity of the compost. The very good quality of the final compost obtained indicated that the RHGVS(0) accurately describes the performance of the composting process