Biopotentials acquisition front-end design

La monitorización del funcionamiento del corazón se realiza generalmente por medio del análisis de los potenciales de acción generados en las células responsables de la contracción y relajación de este órgano. El proceso de monitorización mencionado consta de diferentes partes. En primer lugar, se adquieren las señales asociadas a la actividad de las células cardíacas. La conexión entre el cuerpo humano y el sistema de acondicionamiento puede ser implementada mediante diferentes tipos de electrodos – de placa metálica, de succión, top-hat, entre otros. Antes de la adquisición la señal eléctrica recogida por los electrodos debe ser acondicionada de acuerdo a las especificaciones de la entrada de la tarjeta de adquisición de datos (DAQ o DAC). Básicamente, debe amplificar la señal de tal manera que se aproveche al máximo el rango dinámico del cuantificador. Las características de ruido del amplificador requerido deben ser diseñadas teniendo en cuenta que el ruido interno del amplificador no afecte a la interpretación del electrocardiograma original (ECG). Durante el diseño del amplificador se han tenido en cuenta varios requisitos. Deberá optimizarse ña relación señal a ruido (SNR) de la señal entre la señal del ECG y el ruido de cuantificación. Además, el nivel de la señal ECG a la entrada de la DAQ deberá alcanzar el máximo nivel del cuantificador. También, el ruido total a la entrada del cuantificador debe ser despreciable frente a la mínima señal discernible del ECG Con el objetivo de llevar a cabo un diseño electrónico con esas prestaciones de ruido, es necesario llevar a cabo un minucioso estudio de los fundamentos de caracterización de ruido. Se han abarcado temas como la teoría básica de señales aleatorias, análisis espectral y su aplicación a la caracterización en sistemas electrónicos. Finalmente, todos esos conceptos han sido aplicados a la caracterización de las diferentes fuentes de ruido en los circuitos con amplificadores operacionales. Muchos prototipos de amplificadores correspondientes a diferentes diseños han sido implementados en placas de circuito impreso (PCB – Printed Board Circuits). Aunque el ancho de banda del amplificador operacional es adecuado para su implementación en una ‘protoboard’, las especificaciones de ruido obligan al uso de PCB. De hecho, los circuitos implementados en PCB son menos sensibles al ruido e interferencias que las ‘protoboard’ dadas las características físicas de ambos tipos de prototipos

Effect of physiographic conditions on the spatial variation of seasonal topsoil moisture in Mediterranean soils

This paper studies the spatial variation of topsoil moisture within different soil types in a medium-size catchment at the Spanish Pre-Pyrenees (Estaña catchment, 2.5 km2) using seasonal data at high spatial resolution. Topsoil moisture was measured with a Delta-T Theta Probe ML2x device up to 8 cm of soil depth and at seasonal scale during 2005 and 2006. Measured values were related to the soil water content at field capacity to calculate the relative topsoil moisture (θR, %). The highest values of θR were obtained in autumn (53.2%) and the lowest in summer (32.1%) showing a positive correlation with seasonal precipitation and an inverse relationship with seasonal solar radiation (SR). Steep northern slopes presented the highest values of θR in spring, summer and winter and topsoil moisture progressively decreases from steep northern slopes to gentle slopes and from gentle slopes to steep southern slopes, defining a topographical trend. Any topographical trend was observed in autumn when values of θR were very high within the whole catchment. No significant correlation was found between values of θR and those of topographic wetness index (TWI) except in summer. Relative topsoil moisture varied greatly for the different soil types and the highest values were also measured in steep northern slopes in spring, summer and winter. Correlation between θR and SR was good for the different soil types in winter when SR varied the most for the different physiographic units and the range of values of θR is the highest. No significant correlation was found in autumn for any soil type due to the very low values of solar radiation. Results of this work draw attention to the importance of considering the slope steepness and aspect conditions for a more precise characterization of moisture-sensitive areas in Mediterranean environments and soils at seasonal scale.This research was financially supported by the following project: “Soil erosion and carbon dynamic in Mediterranean agroecosystems: radioisotopic modelling at different spatial and temporal scales” (MEDEROCAR, CGL2008-00831/BTE) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.Peer reviewe

Caracterización de 137Cs en suelos representativos de agrosistemas mediterráneos

Publicación de los autores en libro que reúne las aportaciones al V Congresso Ibérico da Ciência do Solo = V Congreso Ibérico de la Ciencia del Suelo (V CICS 2012), celebrado en Angra do Heroismo (isla de Terceira, Azores), del 6 al 10 de Septiembre de 2012. Congreso promovido por la Sociedad Portuguesa de la Ciencia del Suelo y la Sociedad Española de la Ciencia del Suelo en el marco del Convenio establecido entre ambas, y organizado por el Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias de la Universidad de Azores. 6 Pags., 4 Figs.El cesio 137 es un isótopo artificial altamente reactivo introducido en la estratosfera como subproducto de ensayos y accidentes nucleares. Tras una distribución a escala planetaria se deposita en la superficie del suelo asociado a las precipitaciones, quedando fuertemente adsorbido en la fracción fina del suelo. Debido a su limitada migración postdepósito, el movimiento del radioisótopo se asocia al movimiento de las partículas de suelo siendo un eficaz radiotrazador de la redistribución del suelo. En este estudio se caracteriza el contenido de 137Cs en dos suelos representativos de agrosistemas mediterráneos de montaña en el sector central del borde norte de la cuenca del Ebro (España), donde la precipitación media anual es de 550 mm. Con objeto de conocer la distribución en profundidad del radioisótopo se han obtenido perfiles seccionados con una profundidad de muestreo mínima que permite retener el perfil completo de 137Cs en Leptosoles y Gypsisoles. Se registró un amplio rango de variación del contenido de 137Cs, con valores de actividad que varían entre valores no detectables a máximos de 34 Bq kg-1, e inventarios que alcanzan un máximo de 2081 Bq m-2. Los resultados sugieren que la actividad de 137Cs se ve afectada por el uso y tipo de suelo, registrando los valores medios más altos en Leptosoles no cultivados y los más bajos en Gypsisoles cultivados. Estos resultados sugieren que los niveles de 137Cs en suelos mediterráneos están fuertemente condicionados por el uso del suelo.Trabajo financiado por el proyecto de la CICYT: EROMED (CGL2011-25486/BTE).Peer reviewe

Tecnologías medioambientales y empresa: Dos décadas de investigación científica

A través de una revisión sistemática, este trabajo muestra el alcance y la evolución del concepto de Tecnologías Medioambientales en las diferentes áreas de conocimiento para concluir que ha sido en las áreas de conocimiento cercanas a la empresa en las que el término ha tenido mayor repercusión

Neurocognitive components of gambling disorder: Implications for assessment, treatment and policy

Gambling disorder (GD) is now recognized as a behavioral addiction. Evidence has shown that GD and substance use disorders (SUDs) have shared vulnerability factors, similar clinical characteristics, and neurobiological overlaps. However, these similarities have somewhat overshadowed the specificities that account for the differences between GD and SUDs, as well as the considerable heterogeneity of patients with gambling disorder (PGD). In this chapter, we aim to disentangle the key neurocognitive components involved in GD, as well as those underlying heterogeneity among PGD. Core components include the brain mechanisms for gambling reinforcement, and their association with incentive sensitization and craving. With regard to heterogeneity, we will focus on specific gambling-related rewards, and automatic (model-free) versus strategic (model-based) emotion regulation processes. These components are integrated into a psychobiologically-informed, multidimensional model for gamblers’ characterization. In such model, individual differences in sensitivity to gambling reinforcement, basic emotion regulation mechanisms, and strategic emotion regulation are used to explain heterogeneity within the GD population, and serve to re-conceptualize previous attempts to cluster GD phenotypes based on clinical observations and empirical research. The proposed model has a number of implications for policy, prevention, and treatment. First, the consideration of GD as an addiction provides ground for harm-reduction approaches. Second, the transdiagnostic nature of key vulnerability factors justifies profiling of high-risk individuals for secondary prevention of disordered gambling (along with other externalizing problems). Third, understanding individual differences within the population of disordered gamblers yields a practical avenue for health services to incorporate tailored treatment protocols

Regulation of Microclimatic Conditions inside Native Beehives and Its Relationship with Climate in Southern Spain

In this study, the Wbee Sensor System was used to record data from 10 Iberian beehives for two years in southern Spain. These data were used to identify potential conditioning climatic factors of the internal regulatory behavior of the hive and its weight. Categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA) was used to determine the minimum number of those factors able to capture the maximum percentage of variability in the data recorded. Then, categorical regression (CATREG) was used to select the factors that were linearly related to hive internal humidity, temperature and weight to issue predictive regression equations in Iberian bees. Average relative humidity values of 51.7% ± 10.4 and 54.2% ± 11.7 were reported for humidity in the brood nest and in the food area, while average temperatures were 34.3 °C ± 1.5 in the brood nest and 29.9 °C ± 5.8 in the food area. Average beehive weight was 38.2 kg ± 13.6. Some of our data, especially those related to humidity, contrast with previously published results for other studies about bees from Central and northern Europe. Conclusively, certain combinations of climatic factors may condition within hive humidity, temperature and hive weight. Southern Iberian honeybees’ brood nest humidity regulatory capacity could be lower than brood nest thermoregulatory capacity, maintaining values close to 34 °C, even in dry conditions

Studying bioluminescence flashes with the ANTARES deep-sea neutrino telescope

We thank our colleagues of the Information Field Theory Group who provided insight and expertise on the NIFTy framework and Statistical Inference. We would also like to show our gratitude to Thomas Eberl for sharing his expertise on the ANTARES experiment and the data set. SH acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No 772663). The authors acknowledge the financial support of the funding agencies: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Commission Européenne (FEDER fund and Marie Curie Program), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), LabEx UnivEarthS (ANR-10-LABX-0023 and ANR-18-IDEX-0001), Région Île-de-France (DIM-ACAV), Région Alsace (contrat CPER), Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Département du Var and Ville de La Seyne-sur-Mer, France; Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Germany; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Italy; Nederlandse organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO), the Netherlands; Council of the President of the Russian Federation for young scientists and leading scientific schools supporting grants, Russia; Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI), Romania; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación, Investigación y Universidades (MCIU): Programa Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento (refs. PGC2018-096663-B-C41, PGC2018-096663-A-C42, PGC2018-096663-B-C43, PGC2018-096663-B-C44) (MCIU/FEDER), Generalitat Valenciana: Prometeo (PROMETEO/2020/019), Grisolía (ref. GRISOLIA/2018/119), and GenT (refs. CIDEGENT/2018/034, CIDEGENT//2019/043, CIDEGENT//2020/049) programs, Junta de Andalucía (ref. A-FQM-053-UGR18), La Caixa Foundation (ref. LCF/BQ/IN17/11620019), EU: MSC program (ref. 101025085), Spain; Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Professional Training, Morocco. We also acknowledge the technical support of Ifremer, AIM, and Foselev Marine for the sea operation and the CC-IN2P3 for the computing facilities. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.We develop a novel technique to exploit the extensive data sets provided by underwater neutrino telescopes to gain information on bioluminescence in the deep sea. The passive nature of the telescopes gives us the unique opportunity to infer information on bioluminescent organisms without actively interfering with them. We propose a statistical method that allows us to reconstruct the light emission of individual organisms, as well as their location and movement. A mathematical model is built to describe the measurement process of underwater neutrino telescopes and the signal generation of the biological organisms. The Metric Gaussian Variational Inference algorithm is used to reconstruct the model parameters using photon counts recorded by photomultiplier tubes. We apply this method to synthetic data sets and data collected by the ANTARES neutrino telescope. The telescope is located 40 km off the French coast and fixed to the sea floor at a depth of 2475 m. The runs with synthetic data reveal that we can model the emitted bioluminescent flashes of the organisms. Furthermore, we find that the spatial resolution of the localization of light sources highly depends on the configuration of the telescope. Precise measurements of the efficiencies of the detectors and the attenuation length of the water are crucial to reconstruct the light emission. Finally, the application to ANTARES data reveals the first localizations of bioluminescent organisms using neutrino telescope data.European Research Council (ERC)Commission EuropeenneMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación, Investigación y Universidades (MCIU)European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program 772663FEDERMarie Curie ProgramPrograma Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento PGC2018-096663-B-C41, PGC2018-096663-A-C42, PGC2018-096663-B-C43, PGC2018-096663-B-C44 (MCIU/FEDER)Generalitat Valenciana: Prometeo (PROMETEO/2020/019), Grisolía (ref. GRISOLIA/2018/119), GenT (refs. CIDEGENT/2018/034, CIDEGENT//2019/043, CIDEGENT//2020/049)Junta de Andalucía (ref. A-FQM-053-UGR18)La Caixa Foundation (ref. LCF/BQ/IN17/11620019)EU: MSC program (ref. 101025085), Spai

Edaphic characterization and distribution of 137Cs of representative soil profiles on mountainous Mediterranean agroecosystems

19 Pags.- 3 Tabls.- 5 Figs.[ES] Caracterizar los suelos y conocer sus propiedades fisicoquímicas es fundamental para interpretar los datos de 137Cs y evaluar las implicaciones que el tipo y uso de suelo, agrario, ganadero o forestal, tienen sobre el comportamiento del radioisótopo en el suelo. En este trabajo se han caracterizado suelos representativos de agrosistemas mediterráneos de montaña mediante la apertura de calicatas, el estudio detallado de sus propiedades fisicoquímicas, y el análisis por difracción de rayos X de perfiles de suelo. Asimismo, para evaluar la repercusión del uso del suelo sobre el contenido y distribución del radioisótopo, sus implicaciones sobre los procesos de pérdida de suelo, y la posible transferencia del 137Cs a las plantas, se han muestreado 13 perfiles seccionados de suelos agrícolas y forestales en Calcisoles, Leptosoles, Regosoles, Gypsisoles y Gleysoles. Se observó un amplio rango de variación tanto de las principales propiedades fisicoquímicas de suelo como del contenido de 137Cs, que se relacionó directa y significativamente con la materia orgánica. Los valores de 137Cs más altos se registraron en Leptosoles no cultivados en suelos forestales, en los que se observó una distribución del radioisótopo exponencialmente decreciente con la profundidad, mientras que los Gypsisoles y Regosoles cultivados registraron las concentraciones más bajas, con perfiles homogéneos en profundidad por efecto del laboreo. Los resultados de esta investigación evidencian el efecto del uso y tipo de suelo en la concentración de la actividad del radioisótopo, y son de interés para la correcta aplicación del 137Cs como técnica para cuantificar la pérdida de suelo en agrosistemas mediterráneos.[EN] An accurate characterization of soils and good knowledge of the soil physicochemical properties is the key to understanding 137Cs data and assesses the effect of soil type and different land uses on the behavior of the radionuclide 137Cs in the soils. In this research, representative soils of mountainous Mediterranean agroecosystems have been characterized through the study of soil pits, a detailed determination of physicochemical soil properties and the analysis by X-ray diffraction of soil profiles. Furthermore, to assess the impact of Iand use on the content and distribution of 137Cs, its implications on the soil Ioss processes, and the 137Cs transfer to plants, 13 sectioned soil profiles in agricultural and forestry soils, in Calcisois, Leptosois, Regosois, Gypsisols and Gleysois, have been sampled. The physicochemical soil properties varied widely and also the content of 137Cs, which was significantly positively correlated with organic matter. The highest values of 137Cs were found in uncultivated Leptosols under forest soils, with the highest concentration in the topsoil and a sharp decay with depth, while the lowest values of 137Cs were found in cultivated Gypsisols and Regosols, in which the radionuclide was distributed homogeneously throughout the soil profile by tillage effect. Information gained with this research demonstrated the effect of soil type and land use in the content of 137Cs on the soil, and is of interest for the correct application of the 137Cs technique to quantify soil loss in Mediterranean agroecosystems.Trabajo financiado por el proyecto de la CICYT, EROMED (CGL2O1 1 -25486/BTE).Peer reviewe

Education and Diet in the Scientific Literature: A Study of the Productive, Structural, and Dynamic Development in Web of Science

The authors acknowledge the researchers of the research group AREA (HUM-672), which belongs to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Junta de Andalucía and is registered in the Department of Didactics and School Organization of the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of GranadaNutrition-related education is necessary to protect and improve the health status of schoolchildren and to minimize the risk of future diseases. The objective of this research was to analyze the trajectory and transcendence of the concepts “education” and “diet” in the Web of Science literature. The methodology focused on bibliometry, analyzing both the performance and the structural and dynamic development of the concepts through a co-word analysis. A total of 1247 documents were analyzed, and the results show that scientific production experienced a turning point in 2009, in comparison to the level of production reported in previous years. The medium of papers and the language of English were the most common. In relation to the research topic, before 2014, scientific production focused on medical and disease-related aspects; however, since 2014, it has focused on disease prevention and feeding. It was therefore concluded that the theme “diet and education” has been researched for more than 20 years, although it is only in the last decade that it has become more relevant—particularly studies focusing on disease prevention and the type of food, specifically fruit, which is presented as the most outstanding issue for researchers in this field of knowledge.research group AREA HUM-672This study was financed by the “Study and analysis of technological resources and innovation in teacher training in the field of Higher Education and its applicability to the development of the Santander Region (Colombia),” in the Framework Cooperation Agreement for the strengthening of research and education, signed between the Corporación Escuela Tecnológica del Oriente, the Secretariat of Education of Santander, and the AreA HUM/672 Research Group of the University of Granada. Code: ISPRS-2017-7202. Period: 2017 to 2021