Influence of Technology on Perceived Obsolescence though Product Design Properties

Formal or perceived obsolescence describes the fact that users decide to stop using a product, even though it still fulfils its function. This is because the design is perceived as obsolete, which also leads to negative product semantics. This is often the case with products that are frequently updated to incorporate the latest technology. The aim of this paper is to understand the influence of technology on the perception of design. To this end, 297 people were surveyed about their perception of formal obsolescence in regard to different elements of a car and a smartphone, based on their design properties: shape, colour and material. In addition, technological attributes (some of which were dystopian) were added to these products to assess the influence of current or obsolete technology on participants' perception of obsolescence. Possible correlations were assessed by means of a chi-square analysis. The results show that technology does not influence all design properties in the same way, with shape being more important than colour or material. This is especially true for multimedia products, such as vehicle displays or smartphones. The results of this paper can help design engineers to create products that last longer, while also reducing their environmental impact

Detección de ocratoxina A en higos secos utilizando el anticuerpo MAP1 y una técnica de ELISA competitivo

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Diferenciación de grupos de especies del género Alternaria mediante la reacción en cadena de la Polimerasa (PCR)

Se ha desarrollado una técnica de PCR múltiple para la diferenciación de grupos de especies del género Alternaria. Para ello se han diseñado cebadores que amplifican un fragmento del gen Alt a 1 a partir del ADN de las especies de Alternaria pertenecientes a un grupo determinado y no producen amplificación a partir del ADN de especies de otros grupos de Alternaria ni de otros organismos analizados. La introducción de un tercer cebador en la reacción de PCR múltiple permite amplificar una banda común a todas las especies de Alternaria analizadas, además del fragmento específico de cada grupo.A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, based on oligonucleotide primers targeting the Alt a 1 gene, has been developed for the specific identification of several species-groups within the genus Alternaria. The introduction of a third oligonucleotide in the multiplex PCR allows amplification of a common DNA fragment in all Alternaria species, besides the specific fragment of each group

A new route of synthesis of Na-Mica-4 from sodalite

Synthesis of Na-Mica-4 has been achieved by a ``mix and calcine¿¿ method using sodalite and magnesium fluoride as the only precursors. Previous research found sodalite as a key intermediate reaction product in the formation of Na-Mica-4 when the NaCl melt method was employed. Similarities in structure, chemical composition and cation distribution in products using the proposed method and the NaCl melt method are described and suggest that Na-Mica-4 is a very stable product. The use of sodalite as precursor provokes microporous formation in the final mica. The absence of excess Na leads to a lower particle size and to the presence of less impurity in the calcined product. Different sodalites could be used in the synthesis of different Na-Mica-4 with presumably different physicochemical propertiesPeer Reviewe

Interaction of hydrated cations with mica-n (n = 2, 3 and 4) surface

High charged swelling micas, with layer charge between 2 and 4, have been found to readily swell with water, and complete cation exchange (CEC) can be achieved. Because of their high CEC, applications like radioactive cation fixation or removal of heavy metal cations from wastewater were proposed. Their applicability can be controlled by the location of the interlayer cation in a confined space with a high electric field. In synthetic brittle micas, the interlayer cation has a low water coordination number; therefore, their coordination sphere would be completed by the basal oxygen of the tetrahedral layer as inner-sphere complexes (ISC). However, no direct evidence of these complexes formation in brittle micas has been reported yet. In this contribution, we mainly focus on the understanding the mechanisms that provoke the formation of ISC in high charge swelling micas, Mica-n. A whole series of cations (X) were used to explore the influence of the charge and size of the interlayer cation. Three brittle swelling micas, Mica-n (n = 4, 3 and 2), were selected in order to analyze the influence of the layer charge in the formation of ISC. The contribution of the ISC has been analyzed thorough the evolution of the 060 reflection and the changes in the short-range order of the tetrahedral cations will be followed 29Si and 27Al MAS NMR. The results showed that ISC was favored in X-Mica-4 and that provoked a high distortion angle between the Si-Al tetrahedra. When the content of aluminum decreases, the electrostatic forces between the layers are relaxed, and the hydrated cations did not interact so strongly with the tetrahedral sheet, having the opportunity to complete their hydration sphere. © 2014 American Chemical Society.Peer Reviewe

Main biotic drivers of tree growth in a developing Juniperus thurifera stand in central Spain

Over the last few decades, abandonment of traditional management practices in Spain has led to widespread stand densification and has favoured the expansion of some forest species that previously exhibited more restricted ranges. Spanish juniper (Juniperus thurifera L.) woodlands are experiencing this phenomenon due to agricultural land abandonment and a decrease in the livestock pressure. Yet the main drivers underlying stand structure and dynamics at this novel scenario are poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the main biotic drivers of tree growth in a high-density stand of the dioecious J. thurifera at an early developmental stage (mean tree age of 32 years, 50 years after land abandonment). Tree growth was measured by coring 299 individuals of different reproductive classes (male, female and non-reproductive). Neighbourhood models were used to assess the relative importance of tree size and neighbourhood competition on tree growth of each reproductive class in the study plot. We found that tree size had the strongest effect on tree growth, whereas the effect of intraspecific competition was negligible. We observed differences in growth patterns among reproductive classes along trunk diameter sizes. Thus, at smaller sizes the three reproductive classes presented identical patterns of growth. However, at bigger sizes, females were the fastest growing individuals, followed by males and non-reproductive individuals. Overall, our results suggest that in young J. thurifera monospecific forests, where self-thinning processes may have not undergone yet, tree size and the reproductive class could play a relatively more important role than competition as drivers of tree growth. These findings constitute new information which contributes to understanding growth dynamics at early developmental stages in this dioecious species. Furthermore, our results provide guidelines for silvicultural managing; suggesting that at these young juniper stands thinning would likely not translate into enhanced growth on remnant trees

A new route of synthesis of Na-Mica-4 from sodalite

Synthesis of Na-Mica-4 has been achieved by a ``mix and calcine¿¿ method using sodalite and magnesium fluoride as the only precursors. Previous research found sodalite as a key intermediate reaction product in the formation of Na-Mica-4 when the NaCl melt method was employed. Similarities in structure, chemical composition and cation distribution in products using the proposed method and the NaCl melt method are described and suggest that Na-Mica-4 is a very stable product. The use of sodalite as precursor provokes microporous formation in the final mica. The absence of excess Na leads to a lower particle size and to the presence of less impurity in the calcined product. Different sodalites could be used in the synthesis of different Na-Mica-4 with presumably different physicochemical propertiesDirección General de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CTQ2010-1487

New insights into surface-functionalized swelling high charged micas: Their adsorption performance for non-ionic organic pollutants

The major components of the wastewater from the petroleum refineries are benzene, toluene and phenol and one of the techniques applied to the treatment of effluents is sorption using organo-functionalized clay. The materials exploited in the present study are a family of surface-functionalized synthetic micas and their sorption capacities for non-ionic organic pollutants are analyzed. The organo-functionalization of their surface provides them the capacity to sorb effectively non-ionic pollutants in the interface. Their adsorption performance is a function of the alkylamonium properties such as the chain length, the mass fraction and the organization of the organic cation in the interlayer space of the micas.Junta de Andalucía FEDER P12-FQM-567Spanish State Program R+D +I oriented societal challenges FEDER MAT2015-63929-REl patrimonio autónomo fondo nacional de financiamiento para la ciencia, la tecnología y la innovación, Francisco José de Caldas FP44842-627-201

Hydration properties of synthetic high-charge micas saturated with different cations: An experimental approach

An understanding of the interaction mechanisms between exchangeable cations and layered silicates is of interest from both a basic and an applied point of view. Among 2:1 phyllosilicates, a new family of swelling high-charge synthetic micas has been shown to be potentially useful as decontaminant. However, the location of the interlayer cations, their acidity and the water structure in the interlayer space of these silicates are still unknown. The aim of this paper was therefore to study the hydration state of the interlayer cations in the interlayer space of high-charge expandable micas and to evaluate the effect that this hydration has on the swelling and acidity behavior of these new materials. To achieve these objectives, three synthetic micas with different charge density total layer charges (ranging between 2 and 4 per unit cell) and with five interlayer cations (Na+, Li+, K+, Mg2+, and Al3+) were synthesized and their hydration state, interlayer space, and acidity analyzed by DTA/TG, XRD, and 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy. The results showed that the hydration state depends on both the layer charge and the nature of the interlayer cation. A high participation of the inner-sphere complexes in the highly charged confined space has been inferred and proposed to induce Brønsted acidity in the solid.Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica CTQ2010-1487

Embryology of the abnormally high origin of a coronary artery (High Take-Off) in a mouse model.

High take-off (HTO) is a rare congenital coronary artery anomaly associated with sudden cardiac death. The coronary ostium is located in the ascending aorta above the sinotubular junction. The morphogenetic defect leading to HTO is currently unknown. Our group has shown occurrence of HTO in different strains of laboratory mice, including C57Bl/6 strain with 58% incidence of HTO and Balb/c strain with null incidence. Our aim is to investigate the aetiology of HTO, using C57BL/6 and Balb/c mice strains as experimental models. The process of coronariogenesis was examined in E13.5 and E14.5 mouse embryos of C57Bl/6 (n=27) and Balb/c (n=23) strains. We used histochemistry and immunohistochemistry with specific markers for the vascular plexuses involved in the formation of coronary arteries (PROX1 and ERG 1/2/3). In the mouse embryo, coronary ostia develop at approximately stage E14.5. The location of the ostia is determined by the confluence of two vascular plexuses. The transient lymphatic subepicardial aortic plexus migrates from the pharyngeal region, invading the subepicardial space of the intrapericardial thoracic arteries at around E13.5. The primary or ventricular plexus, which constitutes the future coronary vascular network, forms in situ, reaching the embryonic cardiac outflow tract at around E14. Eighteen of the 27 (66.7%) C57Bl/6 embryos showed an exacerbated subepicardial aortic plexus compared to the 23 Balb/c embryos, in which the subepicardial aortic plexus exhibited a normal size. These results suggest that the embryonic origin of HTO could be due to a defect in the growth of the subepicardial aortic plexus, resulting in an exacerbated vessel network. This overgrowth seems to alter the invasion and connection of the primary plexus to the aortic root for the establishment of the ostia and coronary trunks. From a biomedical viewpoint, it would be of great interest to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the overgrowth of the aortic plexus.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech; PI-0530-2019 (Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía); UMA20-FEDERJA-041 (Junta de Andalucía y Fondos FEDER); PROYEXCEL_01009 (PAIDI, Junta de Andalucía); PRE2018-083176 (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades), CONT-FIMABIS-0610/2023 (Junta de Andalucía)