Spatio-temporal variation of early wood vessel features of Quercus robur L. along a climatic gradient in the northwestern iberian peninsula

Comunicación presentada en Rovaniemi (Finlandia) los días 13-18 de junio de 2010.Common European oak (Quercus robur L.) reaches its southwestern distribution limit in Europe close to the Northwestern Iberian Peninsula, where the transition to Mediterranean vegetation results in a progressive substitution of this species as xeric conditions increase. For this reason, xylem adaptations to drought conditions are relevant for the survival of these oaks, while their analysis by means of dendrochronological techniques can be useful to study their behavior in changing environments. For this work, we selected a network of 12 sites distributed all along Galicia (NW Spain), trying to characterize the transition to the Mediterranean climate within the region. Earlywood vessels were measured for 10 trees per site for a common period of 20 years, and combined into several growth variables combining vessel size and numbers (mean and maximum vessel area, number of vessels, total conductive area and conductivity), also considering the position within the ring. We used these data to build chronologies for each growth variable and site, which were compared by multivariate techniques. The results showed that vessel characteristics varied among sites according to the prevailing conditions along the gradient. Similarly, the comparison of time series provided a more detailed picture of the influence of climate on the adaptations of xylem anatomy. In summary, this works constitutes one of the first attempts to apply quantitative tree- ring anatomy to a network of site chronologies, and can be of relevance to the study of global chang

Use of cultured human epithelium for coverage : a defect of radial forearm free flap donor site

The radial forearm free flap has been popular in many areas of reconstructive surgery. Despite the many attributes of this flap in maxillofacial reconstruction, one of the disadvantages has been the morbidity of the donor site. Allogeneic cultured epidermis has been successfully applied on large second degree burns and on chronic leg ulcers. Autologous human keratinocytes and fibroblast equivalents can be cultured in-vitro from a small skin sample in order to produce a sufficient amount of epithelial autografts to cover the large defects of third-degree burn wounds. Interestingly, transplanted cultured epidermis retains characteristics of the original donor site. We report a case of a patient who underwent skin replacement by cultured epithelial autograft after wound breakdown occurred in the forearm donor site during the early postoperative period. This method could represent an auspicious alternative to conventional grafting methods for forearm free flap reconstruction. To the best of our knowledge, skin replacement by cultured epithelial autografts in this region has not been extensively described in the literature

Generación de estados superficiales durante la formación electroforética catódica de películas de TiO2 sobre ito

In the present work TiO2 films were formed over Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) employing cathodic electrophoretic deposition (Cathodic-EPD) and Dr. Blade Technique. The films were characterized by electrochemical techniques in order to compare their electronic properties; as well as, their photoelectrochemical behavior. The electrochemical performance showed by the films, allowed to relate the modification occurring during the Cathodic-EPD, with the partial reduction of TiO2 nanoparticles, generating Ti3+ defects. These trapping states are modifying the electronic properties of the film, and diminishing the transport of the photoelectrogenerated electrons toward ITO

Perfil de la investigación académica sobre Juegos Masivos en Línea para Múltiples Jugadores (JMLMJ) 2000-2009: Horizontes para la investigación educativa

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17227/01234870.38folios75.94Whilst there exists a large body of publications around Massively Multiplayer On-line Role-Play Gaming (MMORPG), there is little profiling academic research on this type of game. This study aims at unveiling what, when, where and who constitute scholarly work in research about MMORPG. A 777-register dataset was configured with primary documents taken from 16 databases and two web-portals. The dataset was drilled down using specialized text-mining software. Findings revealed four main research interests that comprise the games themselves, gaming experiences, systems architecture and educational MMORPG. It was also found that research on this topic started out in 2002 and some milestones of emerging research were charted out. The most prolific organizations and authors were also identified in which the USA, Canada and Italy occupy outstanding places. It is recommended that research profiling studies be carried out to extendmore informed literature reviews and support further research questions.La investigación sobre Juegos Masivos en Línea para Múltiples Jugadores (JMLMJ) es amplia; sin embargo, no hay mucha literatura especializada que perfile la investigación sobre este tipo específico de juegos. El presente estudio persigue describir el qué, el cuándo, el dónde y el quién que constituyen trabajo investigativo y académico sobre los JMLMJ. Se configuró una base de datos de 777 registros con documentos de investigación provenientes de 16 bases de datos académicas y dos portales web. La base de datos que se organizó fue explorada utilizando un software especializado en minería de textos. Los resultados revelan cuatro tendencias principales en la investigación sobre los JMLMJ: los juegos en sí mismos, las experiencias de juego, los sistemas de arquitectura de estos juegos y los JMLMJ relacionados con el fenómeno educativo. Se encontró que la investigación sobre estos juegos se origina en 2002 y se encontraron rutas de investigación relacionadas como desarrollo del campo. Se identificaron los autores más prolíficos quienes son provenientes de organizaciones en USA, Canadá e Italia. Se recomienda la realización de estudios de perfil para ampliar las revisiones de literatura que sustente la formulación de preguntas de investigación

Photovoltaic Prediction Software: Evaluation with Real Data from Northern Spain

Prediction of energy production is crucial for the design and installation of PV plants. In this study, five free and commercial software tools to predict photovoltaic energy production are evaluated: RETScreen, Solar Advisor Model (SAM), PVGIS, PVSyst, and PV*SOL. The evaluation involves a comparison of monthly and annually predicted data on energy supplied to the national grid with real field data collected from three real PV plants. All the systems, located in Castile and Leon (Spain), have three different tilting systems: fixed mounting, horizontal-axis tracking, and dual-axis tracking. The last 12 years of operating data, from 2008 to 2020, are used in the evaluation. Although the commercial software tools were easier to use and their installations could be described in detail, their results were not appreciably superior. In annual global terms, the results hid poor estimations throughout the year, where overestimations were compensated by underestimated results. This fact was reflected in the monthly results: the software yielded overestimates during the colder months, while the models showed better estimates during the warmer months. In most studies, the deviation was below 10% when the annual results were analyzed. The accuracy of the software was also reduced when the complexity of the dual-axis solar tracking systems replaced the fixed installation.This research was funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant number RTI2018-098900-B-I00 and the Regional Government of Castilla y León under the “Support Program for Recognized Research Groups of Public Universities of Castilla y León” (ORDEN EDU/667/2019) and “Health and Safety Program” (INVESTUN/19/BU/0004)

Stability of breeding characters related with bread wheat quality in Southern Spain

In 1998 CIMMYT and Agrovegetal SA signed an agreement aimed at developing new wheat varieties adapted to agroclimatic conditions of Southern Spain. To select bread wheat cultivars appropriate for Andalusian market is important to meet high protein and bread making quality requirements. The stability of several characters related with bread quality of a set of five new varieties ('Escacena', 'Ecija', 'Olvera', 'Jerezano' and 'Vejer'), and three checks ('Yecora', 'Cartaya' and 'Pinzon') has been tested in samples collected from trials in quadrate lattice with three replicates in five locations of Andalusia during the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 crop seasons. The quality testing and statistical analysis of the data were conducted at the Genetics Department of the University of Cordoba, showing that in these typical Mediterranean conditions the main part of quality parameters were highly influenced by the environment. The distribution of phenotypic variance showed that the three quality traits in which the genotype was the main factor of variation in the two-year analysis were SDSsedimentation, falling number, and alveograph-W. For the rest of traits the environment or the genotype x environment interaction explained, in at least one year, more than 50% of the observed variance

Biomonitoring and bioaccessibility of environmental airborne manganese in relation to motor function in a healthy adult population

Background/aim: Santander, the capital of Cantabria, Spain (172,000 inhabitants) is 7 km from an industrial emission source (IES) of Mn located in a 10,000 inhabitants town (Maliaño) (annual air Mn arithmetic mean = 231.8 ng/m3 ; reference WHO guideline = 150 ng/m3 ). Our objective was to compare the motor function of adult healthy volunteers living in both places. Methods: Cross-sectional study analyzing 130 consecutive participants. Exposure to Mn was assessed in terms of source distance from the IES, by Personal Environmental Monitors (PEMs) carried for 24 h by participants consisting of a portable impactor connected to a personal pump, and by biomarkers (blood, hair and fingernails). The impactor allowed the separation of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-2.5) particles and for each particle size in-vitro bioaccessibility tests with biologically active fluids were performed to separate the soluble (bio accessible) from the insoluble (non-bioaccessible) fraction. Mean Differences (MDs) adjusted for age, sex, and study level, were obtained for motor function tests results. Results: Regarding Grooved Pegboard, overall mean time to complete the test was 59.31 and 65.27 seconds (Standard Deviation = 10.11 and 11.69) for dominant and nondominant hands respectively. Statistically significant higher times (indicating worse function) were observed when living near the IES in both hands but MDs of only 1.22 and 2.05 seconds were obtained after adjusting for the predefined confounders (p = 0.373 and 0.221 respectively). Regarding Mn levels in their PEMs (in both bioaccessible and non-bioaccessible coarse&fine fractions) higher times were computed in participants with higher levels for the bioaccessible-fine fraction, with a MD that diminished but still yielded statistical significance after controlling for confounding: adjusted MD = 3.01 more seconds; 95%CI (0.44-5.38), p = 0.022. Poorer results were also observed for fingernails levels. Regarding Finger Tapping Test, no statistically significant differences were found with the exception of Mn fingernails levels. Conclusions: Our results suggest poorer motor function as assessed by Grooved Pegboard test in relation to "proximity to IES", "bioaccessible-fine fraction as determined by PEMs and "Mn fingernails levels". However, our findings were affected by confounding, and only the adjusted MD for the Mn bioaccessible-fine fraction remained of sufficient magnitude to maintain statistical significance.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the CTM2017-82636-R Project. This funding source was not involved in the study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; the writing of the article; or the decision to submit for publication. Bohdana Markiv also thanks this Ministry for the PhD grant awarded, PRE2018-085152

Reconocimiento de estructuras histológicas en muestras histopatológicas

Uno de nuestros objetivos en Histología es enseñar a los alumnos a describir, reconocer e interpretar imágenes microscópicas que les permitan, de una forma sistematizada, llegar a un diagnóstico histológico. Presentamos el diseño de una nueva actividad práctica con una orientación más novedosa y aplicativa, basada en el trabajo en pequeños grupos y la utilización de recursos on line. Empleando imágenes histopatológicas en las que la estructura normal ha quedado muy alterada, los alumnos deben de discriminar entre las zonas normales y anormales, describir y reconocer los elementos “residuales” células y tisulares normales. La práctica se llevó a cabo en una de las Aulas multimedia de la Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería de la UCO que se encuentran completamente equipadas para el trabajo en pequeños grupos y con infraestructura y equipamiento para el empleo de las TIC’s. Cada grupo trabaja de forma independiente empleando todos los recursos disponibles, emitiendo informes completos en un tiempo limitado y que deben ser consensuados y firmados por todos. Los alumnos/as fueron encuestados en relación a la utilidad, complementariedad y adquisición de las competencias CE22, CT12 CT10 y CT 19. Los resultados avalan que esta orientación aplicativa de la histología al relacionarla con la histopatología representa un elemento motivador para los alumnos favoreciendo su interés por lo que observan al microscopio, al mismo tiempo que se potencian la adquisición de destrezas y habilidades necesarias en su formación como médicos.Proyecto nº 2015-2-3010 financiado por el III PLAN DE INNOVACIÓN Y MEJORA EDUCATIVA. Curso 2015/ 2016. UC