Preliminary study of the airborne pollen in the atmosphere of Puerto Ayora (Galapagos Islands, Ecuador)

Galapagos is an archipelago of volcanic islands located 972 km west from the continental Ecuador. They were declared by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve due to their singular environmental value, where a third part of the native plants are endemic to this archipelago (Jaramillo et al., 2011). In spite of the numerous scientific studies carried out in Galapagos, there are not any aerobiological samplings being performed currently. The main objectives of this study were to install a pollen trap for detecting the presence of pollen in the atmosphere of Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands) and qualitatively identify the different pollen types detected during the studied period. A Durham (1946) gravimetric pollen trap was modified to turn it into a passive impact pollen trap based on Pla Dalmau (1957) modifications. It was placed on the roof of the Galapagos National School (Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island) at a height of 15m above ground level. The samples were obtained by using silicone fluid as adhesive substance and glycerine gelatine as mounting mean. The pollen grains were counted in a surface of 14 x 48 mm in each sample. The pollen types were identified with the aid of the pollen guide of the Galapagos Island by Jaramillo & Trigo (2011) and the Charles Darwin Foundation pollen bank. Pollen types of endemic plants such as Darwiniothamnus sp., Passiflora foetida var. galapagensis Killip, Justicia galapagana Lindau and Castela galapageia Hook. f. were detected together with those of other native and introduced species. A high diversity of pollen types was detected, reflecting the particular vegetation of the island. This preliminary aerobiological information can be used as precedent for further studies on the pollination of native and introduced species of the Galapagos Islands, as well as for detecting possible allergic diseases in the population.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Segmented-block poly(ether amide)s containing flexible polydisperse polyethyleneoxide sequences and rigid aromatic amide moieties

We describe the synthesis and characterization of three novel aromatic diamines containing oxyethylene sequences of different lengths. These diamines were polymerized using the low-temperature solution polycondensation method with isophthaloyl chloride (IPC), terepthaloyl chloride (TPC), [1,1’-biphenyl]-4,4’-dicarbonyl dichloride (BDC), and 4,4′-oxybis(benzoyl chloride) (OBE), obtaining twelve poly(ether amide)s with short segments of polydisperse polyethyleneoxide (PEO) sequences in the polymer backbone. These polymers show reasonably high molecular mass materials (Mw > 12,000), and the relationship between their structure and properties has been carefully studied. Compared with conventional polyamides containing monodisperse PEO sequences, the polydispersity of the PEO segments within the structural units exerts a significant influence on the crystallinity, flexibility, solubility, and the thermal properties of the polymers. For instance, the all-para oriented polyamides (TPCP-A), with an average number of 8.2 ethylenoxide units per structural unit can be transformed conventionally (Tm = 259 °C) in comparison with thermally untransformable polymer with 2 ethylenoxide units (Tm = 425 °C)FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional), the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PID2020-113264RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and (PID2019-108583RJ-I00/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033), and the Consejería de Educación—Junta de Castilla y León (BU306P1

Efecto del método Singapur en el desarrollo de competencias matemáticas para niños de 3º de básica primaria

Maestría en EducaciónThis research presents a detailed analysis of the effect of The Singapore Method in the development of Math skills in 3TH Grade students. In order to determine this impact, an instrument of study was designed, validated and applied. This instrument evaluated four Math skills established by Curricular Standards such as: formulation, processing and problem solving; communication, reasoning and formulation, comparison and practice of procedures. This study was applied to 98 students from two public schools in Barranquilla, Colombia. One of the schools was already familiar with the Singapore Method since it was the first school that started the pilot trial of such methodology in the city. The other school’s teaching and learning process is based on the teachers own methodologies and the institution’s benchmarks.El presente trabajo investigativo presenta de manera detallada cuál ha sido el efecto del Método Singapur en el desarrollo de las competencias matemáticas para niños de 3° Básico. Para determinar tal efecto, se diseñó, validó y aplicó un instrumento que evaluó cuatro de las competencias matemáticas establecidas por los Estándares Curriculares como lo son: Formulación, tratamiento y solución de problemas; Comunicación, Razonamiento y Formulación, comparación y ejercitación de procedimientos. Esta prueba, se aplicó a 98 estudiantes de dos Instituciones Educativas Distritales de la ciudad de Barranquilla. En una de ellas, se encuentran familiarizados, desde hace más de tres años, con la aplicación de la Metodología Singapur en la enseñanza y aprendizaje de las matemáticas, haciendo parte del grupo piloto con el que se inició el proyecto en la ciudad y otra en la cual trabajan con la metodología propia de sus maestros y de acuerdo a la filosofía institucional. Palabras claves: Competencias matemáticas, método Singapur, didácticas de las matemáticas

Estudio de caso sobre la percepción del rendimiento escolar en un IES de la ciudad de Zaragoza

En este trabajo se presenta un estudio sobre la percepción del rendimiento escolar en un instituto público de la ciudad de Zaragoza, dentro de la línea de investigación cualitativa. Centrando el análisis de los datos en cuatro grandes categorías: a) Percepción sobre los factores de influencia que consideran profesores-tutores, alumnos y madres del AMPA de primer curso de Educación secundaria (ESO) b) Contexto Personal, Familiar y Profesional c) Sugerencias para mejorar el Rendimiento escolar y d) Factores de motivación. La información fue obtenida a través de entrevistas a los tutores, cuestionarios a madres del AMPA y todos los alumnos de primero de la ESO. Para el análisis de las categorías se ha seguido las pautas de codificación de categorías en estudios cualitativos

Valorization of chestnut (Castanea sativa) residues: characterization of different materials and optimization of the acid-hydrolysis of chestnut burrs for the elaboration of culture broths

Four kinds of waste from the industrial processing of chestnuts (Castanea sativa), namely leaves, pruned material and burrs from chestnut tree plus chestnut shells, were characterized to determine their content in polymers and thus their potential use in biorefinery processes. Results revealed that chestnut burrs have the highest polysaccharide content being the most promising for carrying out the subsequent stages of acid hydrolysis. Treatment with diluted sulfuric acid (prehydrolysis) allowed the solubilization of xylose, glucose and arabinose, but also some toxic compounds such as furan derivatives, aliphatic acids and phenolic constituents. Xylose, the main component released in the hemicellulosic hydrolyzates, was maximized by using a 3**(2–0) full factorial design combined with desirability function. At optimum conditions set at 130 °C and 3% (w/v) H 2 SO 4 , this value was 22.6 g L −1 xylose. Three concentrations of activated charcoal (1, 2.5 and 5% w/v) were evaluated to remove certain unwanted byproducts, and it was found that under the highest dosage, 95.27 ± 0.03% of the color was removed with an almost total reduction of furan derivatives, making this liquor an appropriate basis for the development of suitable culture media for lactic acid bacteria. To validate this hypothesis three lactic acid bacteria, namely Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactococcus lactis were positively tested finding lactic acid yields of 0.89, 0.92 and 0.83 g/L·h respectively.Axencia Galega de Innovació

Climatological variations of moisture sources for precipitation of North Atlantic tropical cyclones linked to their tracks

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGThe tropical cyclones (TCs) trajectories are mainly controlled by the large-scale parameters related with the steering flow. We used the HURDAT2 database from 1980 to 2018 for grouping the tracks of TCs formed in the North Atlantic (NATL) main development region into straight moving (SM), recurving landfall (RCL) and recurving ocean (RCO). Based on this classification, we investigated the changes in the moisture sources' contributions to the precipitation along the TCs trajectories for each track category by applying a Lagrangian moisture source diagnostic method to the air parcels pathways from the FLEXPART model. The highest moisture contribution occurred within 3-5° from the average TCs trajectories. The moisture supplied from the Gulf of Mexico represented 19.1% of humidity gained by SM but was negligible for recurving TCs. Likewise, the Caribbean Sea contributed 31.8% for SM, and its humidity support notably decreased for recurving storms to 0.9–8.3%. In addition, the moisture uptake from the tropical NATL was similar for all track types. The western NATL increased the moisture supply from 15.3% for SM to 31.1% for RCO and 42.6% for RCL, while the eastern subtropical NATL provided 3.1% of moisture to SM, 12.5% to RCL and 45.4% to RCO. It was also notable the moisture support from the terrestrial source southeastern United States (5.3%) for RCL tracks. Furthermore, we found that El Niño–Southern Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and the Atlantic Meridional Mode influence the moisture contributions variability from sources for each track typeXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A2020/193Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades | Ref. PID2021-122314OB-I00Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/44Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A2022/12

Evaluating changes in the moisture sources for tropical cyclones precipitation in the North Atlantic that underwent extratropical transition

In this study, we investigated the changes in the origin of moisture for the precipitation associated with tropical cyclones (TCs) after extratropical transition (ET) over the North Atlantic Ocean basin from 1980 to 2018. We analyzed the 24 hr before and after the occurrence of ET events. By applying a TC-centric methodology we found that the moisture uptake (MU) occurred predominantly in the south and southwest sectors within ∼2,000 km of TC center before ET and from the southwest and west sectors after ET. In addition, the development of the cold front and the warm conveyor belt after ET induces changes in the moisture transport pattern. Overall, the secondary circulation of TCs favored the moisture flux inward for TCs precipitation, while the large-scale baroclinic environment controlled the MU after ET.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A‐2020/193Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/44Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2021‐122314OB‐I0

The rare case of Hurricane Catarina (2004) over the South Atlantic Ocean: The origin of its precipitation through a Lagrangian approach

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are extremely rare over the South Atlantic Ocean (SATL) due to predominantly unfavourable conditions, that is, cool sea-surface temperature and strong vertical wind shear. Nevertheless, unusual conditions over SATL associated with a blocking system promoted the formation of Hurricane Catarina from an extratropical precursor in late March 2004, which produced heavy rainfall over the states of Santa Catarina and the Rio Grande do Sul in south Brazil. This work identifies the moisture sources for the precipitation produced by Catarina along its 6-hourly trajectory, through a Lagrangian moisture-tracking method. We extracted the pathways of precipitating air parcels within the cyclone’s outer radius from the global outputs of the FLEXPART model forced with the ERA-Interim reanalysis. Our findings revealed the terrestrial source in south-southeastern Brazil (SEB) and the oceanic source limited by the box between 20-40◦S and 30–50◦W over SATL (WSATL) as the principal moisture sources, with the overall support of ∼27% and ∼66%, respectively. However, their contribution varied according to the development phase of Catarina. While the moisture uptake from SEB decreased from ∼75% during the extratropical phase to ∼8% during the hybrid stage, the moisture contribution from WSATL notable increased from ∼20% to 87%, respectively. Likewise, the contributions from SEB and WSATL during the tropical phase of the cyclone accounted for ∼13% and ∼85%, respectively. The tracked air parcels achieved the high water content in a short period before the precipitation, leading to a reduction of the mean water vapour residence time to ∼3.1 days. Additionally, the precipitating moisture uptake along the Catarina trajectory was noticeably higher than the climatological value.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A2020/193Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A2022/128Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/44Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades | Ref. PID2021‐122314OB‐I00Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. JPIOCEANS/0001/201

El Picacho (Olmos de Peñafiel): una necrópolis de la Alta Edad Media

[ES]Este artículo se centra en el análisis de los resultados provisionales de la excavación de la necrópolis de El Picacho (Olmos de Peñafiel, Valladolid). Se trata de un espacio funerario con un dilatado periodo de uso, entre los siglos VI y X, emplazado en un cerro que se alza sobre la localidad, en una posición prominente. El sitio arqueológico revela la resiliencia de las sociedades locales a lo largo de la Alta Edad Media, frente a la idea de despoblación. Se muestran también las dinámicas de un espacio de enterramiento reducido, pero con un alto valor social, lo que explica su perduración. Asimismo, se valora la ausencia de iglesias o centros de culto, aunque se analiza la presencia de una pequeña edificación, posiblemente con una función funeraria. Finalmente, se plantea una comparación con otros ejemplos de necrópolis altomedievales situadas en cerros, que pudieron ser un importante factor en la construcción de los paisajes rurales durante este periodo.[EN]This paper focuses on the analysis of the results provisional of the archaeological excavation of the cemmetery of El Picacho (Olmos de Peñafiel, Valladolid). It is a burial area with a long period of use, between the 6th and 10th centuries, located on the top of a hill that rises above the village. The archaeological site reveals the resilience of local societies throughout the Early Middle Ages in the face of the idea of depopulation. It also shows the dynamics of a small burial area, but with a high social significance, which explains its durability. The absence of churches or places of worship is also assessed, although the presence of a small building, possibly with a funerary function, is analysed. Finally, a comparison is made with other examples of early medieval cemmeteries located on hills, which may have been an important factor in the construction of rural landscapes during this perio

En torno a los hemoderivados

Transfusion is an ongoing need, and as widely used it requires that quality and safety should be ensured to avoid, in particular, the transmission of diseases. It must be a custom treatment.  Nursing roles are particularly important as the care required. The aim of this study is to determine the variability of nursing skills on the extraction of pre-transfusion samples and administration of blood products. Anonymous questionnaires were sent out on-line for subsequent filling and 180 nursing professionals participated. 74.4% of nurses said that blood transfusion can only be administered simultaneously with normal saline, 56.1% reported that each transfused packed red blood cells increases hemoglobin 1 g / dl. We found a consensus among the scientific recommendations and the responses made by different professionals, a fact that is confirmed by the low rate of adverse notifications registered in our study. The development and implementation of policy guidance regarding the administration of blood products is essential.La transfusión es una necesidad permanente, y la amplitud con la que es utilizada exige que deba garantizarse su calidad y seguridad para evitar, en particular, la transmisión de enfermedades. Ha de ser un tratamiento personalizado. Las funciones de enfermería son de especial importancia así como los cuidados que se requieren. El objetivo del presente estudio es conocer la variabilidad práctica de los profesionales de enfermería del centro hospitalario, sobre la extracción de muestras pretransfusionales y la administración de hemoderivados. Para lo cual se realizó el envío de un cuestionario para su posterior cumplimentación en formato on-line, que garantizaba el total anonimato. Han contestado a la encuesta 180 profesionales. El 74.4% de los enfermeros dice que la transfusión de hemoderivados sólo se puede administrar de forma simultánea con  suero fisiológico. Un  56.1% refiere que cada concentrado transfundido de hematíes aumenta la hemoglobina en 1gr/dl. Hemos encontrado un consenso entre las recomendaciones científicas y las contestaciones realizadas por los diferentes profesionales, hecho que se reafirma con el escaso índice de notificaciones adversas que se han registrado en nuestro trabajo. La elaboración e implantación de una guía de actuación en cuanto a la administración de hemoderivados se hace imprescindibl