Evaluation of the biodiversity in Bryophytes and Pteridophytes in Nueva’s river basin (Llanes, Asturias, North Iberian Peninsula): scientific grounds for its protection and conservation

El valle del río de Nueva, orientado al este, se encuentra muy próximo al mar Cantábrico. Su cuenca alta y media, con una superficie de 5,5 Km2, presenta una elevada biodiversidad de briófitos al haberse identificado 145 taxones (85 musgos, 59 hepáticas y 1 antocerota), lo que representa el 23% de la flora briofítica de Asturias. El muestreo realizado, por cuadrículas UTM de 0,5 Km de lado, nos revela también la riqueza en briófitos de este territorio, ya que se han contabilizado hasta 70 taxones distintos en cada unidad de cuadrícula. Del catálogo elaborado resultan ser novedad para la Península Ibérica Dicranodontium asperulum y, además, para el Principado de Asturias, los musgos: Dicranum scottianum y Plagiothecium platyphyllum, y las hepáticas: Bazzania trilobata var. depauperata, Cephalozia crassifolia, Cephalozia loitlesbergeri, Kurzia sylvatica, Lepidozia cupressina, Nowellia curvifolia y Jungermannia paroica, taxa, la mayoría, de reducida distribución. Se amplía el área de distribución, a escala regional, de otras especies (15 hepáticas y 5 musgos) raras o amenazadas, incluidas en la «Red List of Bryophytes of the Iberian Peninsula» (Sérgio & al. 1994). Se ha realizado un estudio fitosociológico de las comunidades briopteridofíticas, en especial las presididas por helechos de carácter «subtropical» presentes en el área de estudio: Woodwardia radicans, Hymenophyllum tunbrigense, Culcita macrocarpa, Stegnogramma pozoi, Vandenboschia speciosa, etc. En su mayoría, estas comunidades pertenecen a la alianza Hymenophyllion tunbrigensis (Orden Anomodonto-Polypodietalia, Clase Anomodonto-Polypodietea), que agrupa fitocenosis constituidas, fundamentalmente, por briófitos y pteridófitos, que colonizan repisas de peñascos, muros y taludes terrosos compactos sobre una delgada capa de tierra (exocomófitos), desarrolladas en ambientes saturados de humedad ambiental, bajo el dosel de formaciones forestales. Mediante el cálculo de los índices de rareza específica, coeficiente de diversidad fitocenótica y calidad botánica, entre otros, se ha evaluado el territorio con el fin de sentar las bases científicas para su protección y conservación.Nueva’s River Valley lies close to the Cantabrico sea, facing towards the east. The upper and middle part of its basin, with a surface of 5.5 Km2, shows a high diversity of bryophytes, as we have identified 145 taxa (85 mosses, 59 liverworts and 1 hornworts), which represent 23% of the Asturias bryophytic flora. The use as sampling unit UTM squares of 0.5 Km side, shows also the richness in bryophytes of this place, as we have found up to 70 different taxa in each square unit. From the catalogue made, Dicranodontium asperulum turns out to be new for the Iberian Peninsula, as in the same way for Principado de Asturias are the mosses Dicranum scottianum and Plagiothecium platyphyllum, and the liverworts Bazzania trilobata var. depauperata, Cephalozia crassifolia, Cephalozia loitlesbergeri, Kurzia sylvatica, Lepidozia cupressina, Nowellia curvifolia and Jungermannia paroica. Most of these taxa have very reduced distribution area. At the regional level, our data represent to enlarge the area of some other rare or threatened species (15 liverworts and 5 mosses), included in the «Red List of Bryophytes of the Iberian Peninsula» (Sérgio & al. 1994). A phytosociologic study of the bryo-pteridophytic communities has been made, especially on those dominated by ferns bearing «subtropical» character: Woodwardia radicans, Hymenophyllum tunbrigense, Culcita macrocarpa, Stegnogramma pozoi, Vandenboschia speciosa, etc. Most of these communities belong to the alliance Hymenophyllion tunbrigensis (Order Anomodonto-Polypodietalia, Class Anomodonto- Polypodietea). This alliance gathers phytocoenoses mainly made by bryophytes and pteridophytes, that inhabit sides of large rocks, walls and compact earth slopes, rootin in a thin layer of soil (exocomophytes), and developed in a really wet environment, under the canopy of forest formations. Through calculation of the «Rare specific index», coefficient of diversity phytocenotics and of botanic quality, among others, we have evaluated the zone with the aim to lay the scientific grounds for its protection and conservation

Li-Po Battery Charger Based on the Constant Current/Voltage Parallel Resonant Converter Operating in ZVS

Battery requirements for electrical vehicles are continuously becoming more demanding in terms of energy density and reliability. Nowadays, batteries for drones must be able to supply 100 A for 15 min, not to mention the specifications required for batteries in electrical vehicles. These specifications result in more stringent specifications for battery chargers. They are required to be more efficient, flexible, and, as with any another power equipment, to have reduced size and weight. Since the parallel resonant converter can operate as a current source and as a voltage source, this paper presents a battery charger power stage for lithium ion polymer batteries, based on the above topology, operating in zero voltage switching mode, and implementing frequency and duty cycle control

Active commuting to basketball players’ training sessions in Extremadura

El desplazamiento activo hace referencia a la acción de dirigirse al centro educativo o al lugar de trabajo por medio de transportes que conlleven un gasto energético como andar o ir en bicicleta (Ruíz-Ariza, Torre-Cruz, Redecillas-Peiró, y Martínez-López, 2015); acto que va en relación con la actividad física y sus beneficios para la salud (Cuberos, Giráldez, Zagalaz, Sánchez y García, 2016). Por ello, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo principal conocer los hábitos de movilidad de deportistas de nivel profesional o semiprofesional, además se plantea como segundo objetivo conocer los motivos que tienen mayor influencia a la hora de seleccionar el medio de desplazamiento a los entrenamientos por parte de jugadores y jugadoras de baloncesto en Extremadura. Se trata de un estudio de tipo transversal, cuantitativo y una selección de la muestra por conveniencia, la cual fue de 73 jugadores/as de baloncesto federados de ligas de nivel nacional y regional de la Comunidad Autónoma de Extremadura (30,1% de género femenino y 69,9% masculino), de edades comprendidas entre 17 y 44 años, siendo la edad media de los participantes 23 años. Los resultados mostraron que el medio de transporte más utilizado por los jugadores y jugadores de baloncesto es el automóvil con un 64.1% a la ida al entrenamiento y un 68.5% a la vuelta. Por tanto, la presente investigación concluye que es necesario generar campañas para fomentar el desplazamiento activo entre los deportistas ya que estos pueden ser un buen ejemplo para otros colectivos (niños y jóvenes)Active commuting refers to the action of commuting to school or work by means of energy-intensive transport such as walking or cycling, act related to physical activity and its health benefits. For this reason, the main objective of this study is to know the mobility habits of professional or semi-professional athletes, and the second objective is to know the reasons that have the greatest influence on the choice of the means of travel to training center by basketball players in Extremadura. This was a cross-sectional, quantitative study with a sample selection by convenience, which consisted of 73 federated basketball players from national and regional leagues in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura (30,1% female and 69.9% male), aged between 17 and 44 years, with the average age of the participants being 23 years. The results showed that the means of transport most used by basketball players and players is the car with 64,1% going to training and 68,5% coming back. Therefore, this research concludes that it is necessary to generate campaigns to promote active travel among athletes, as they can be a good example for other groups (children and young people

Modeling a multilevel converter for radiography and fluoroscopy

EPE'16 ECCE Europe, 18th European Conference on Power Electronics and Applications, 5-9 september 2016, Karsruhe, GermanyIn this paper a mathematical model for a resonant multilevel converter is presented. The topology has been conceived to be used in X-ray power supplies. The power stage has been designed to minimize the resonant current throughout the input voltage range: 400V to 750V. The inverter stage is based on the series-parallel resonant topology, LCC, to include the parasitic elements of the step-up transformer. However, the introduction of an additional magnetic coupling provides a way to modify the reactive elements depending on the output powe

Elevated pulse pressure and cardiovascular risk associated in Spanish population attended in primary care: IBERICAN study

Introduction: Elevated pulse pressure (ePP) is an independent marker of cardiovascular risk (CVR) in people older than 60, and a functional marker of subclinical target organ damage (sTOD) which can predict cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension (HTN), regardless of sTOD. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of ePP in adult population seen in primary care and its association with other vascular risk factors, sTOD and with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Materials and methods: Observational multicentre study conducted in Spain (8,066 patients, 54.5% women) from the prospective cohort study IBERICAN recruited in Primary Care. Pulse pressure (PP) was defined as the difference between the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥60 mmHg. Adjusted (for age and sex) ePP prevalence were determined. Bivariate and multivariate analyses of the possible variables associated with ePP were carried out. Results: The mean of PP was 52.35 mmHg, and was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients with HTN (56.58 vs. 48.45 mmHg) The prevalence of ePP adjusted for age and sex was 23.54% (25.40% men vs. 21.75% women; p < 0.0001). The ePP prevalence rates increased linearly with age (R2= 0.979) and were significantly more frequent in population aged ≥65 than in population aged <65 (45.47% vs. 20.98%; p < 0.001). HTN, left ventricular hypertrophy, low estimated glomerular filtration rate, alcohol consumption, abdominal obesity, and CVD were independently associated with ePP. 66.27% of patients with ePP had a high or very high CVR, as compared with 36.57% of patients without ePP (OR: 3.41 [95% CI 3.08–3.77]). Conclusions: The ePP was present in a quarter of our sample, and it was increased with the age. Also, the ePP was more frequent in men, patients with HTN, other TOD (as left ventricular hypertrophy or low estimated glomerular filtration rate) and CVD; because of this, the ePP was associated a higher cardiovascular risk. In our opinion, the ePP is an importer risk marker and its early identification lets to improve better diagnostic and therapeutic management

Misperception of the cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

ABSTRACT: The risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease and mortality is increased by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, data on how RA patients perceive their own CV risk and their adherence to CV prevention factors are scarce. We conducted an observational study on 266 patients with RA to determine whether the perceived CV risk correlates to the objective CV risk, and if it influences their compliance with a Mediterranean diet and physical exercise. The objective CV risk was calculated according to the modified European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE). The perceived CV risk did not correlate to the objective CV risk. The correlation was even lower when carotid ultrasound was used. Notably, 64.62% of patients miscalculated their CV risk, with 43.08% underestimating it. Classic CV risk factors, carotid ultrasound markers and ESR and CRP showed significant correlation with the objective CV risk. However, only hypertension and RA disease features showed association with the perceived CV risk. Neither the objective CV risk nor the perceived CV risk were associated with the accomplishment of a Mediterranean diet or physical activity. In conclusion, RA patients tend to underestimate their actual CV risk, giving more importance to RA features than to classic CV risk factors. They are not concerned enough about the beneficial effects of physical activity or diet.This work was partially supported by RETICS Programs, RD08/0075 (RIER), RD12/0009/0013 and RD16/0012 from “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (ISCIII) (Spain). However, this research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the commercial or not-for-profit sectors

MANIOBRAS EN TELDE [Material gráfico]

FOTO SOBRE PAPEL DE GRUPO DE MILITARES "EN EL MOMENTO DE DISPARAR UNA PIEZA DE MONTAÑA" TELDE 23/03/1915.¿1905 Ó 1915?Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. Subdirección General de Coordinación Bibliotecaria, 201

LCC Resonant Multilevel Converter for X-ray Applications

Medical X-ray appliances use high-voltage power supplies that must be able to work with very different energy requirements. Two techniques can be distinguished in X-ray medical imaging: fluoroscopy and radioscopy. The former involves low power radiation with a long exposure time, while radioscopy requires large power during short radiographic exposure times. Since the converter has to be designed by taking into account the maximum power specification, it will exhibit a poor efficiency when operating at low power levels. Such a problem can be solved by using a new multilevel LCC topology. This topology is based on a classical series-parallel resonant topology, but includes an additional low-voltage auxiliary transformer whose function depends on the X-ray technique considered. When radioscopy operation is selected, the transformer will allow the power to be shared between two full-bridges. If fluoroscopy mode is activated, the auxiliary full bridge is disconnected and the magnetizing inductance of the auxiliary transformer is used to increase the resonant inductor in order to reduce the resonant currents, thus improving the efficiency of the converte

Rituximab in the treatment of interstitial lung disease associated with autoimmune diseases: experience from a single referral center and literature review

ABSTRACT: In the present study, we aimed to report our experience with rituximab (RTX) in the treatment of patients with ILD associated with AD (AD-ILD) at a single center. For this purpose, clinical characteristics, radiological findings, and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) of RTX-treated AD-ILD-patients seen from May 2016 until March 2020 at a referral center for individuals with ILD were retrospectively reviewed. Additionally, an updated literature review was conducted. A total of 26 patients (mean age 58.3 ± 11.1 years at ILD diagnosis) was included. The most common ADs related to ILD were systemic sclerosis, idiopathic inflammatory myositis (including anti-synthetase syndrome) and rheumatoid arthritis. Non-specific interstitial pneumonia (n = 12) and usual interstitial pneumonia (n = 11) were the predominant radiological patterns. The sustained improvement in PFTs was observed from the start of RTX, with a statistically significant increase in DLCO from basal to one year after RTX (mean + 4.2%, p = 0.024). Overall, there were no differences when comparing PFT outcome according to the radiological pattern or the specific type of AD. In conclusion, RTX constitutes a good therapeutic option to preserve lung function in patients with AD-ILD, regardless of the radiological pattern or the underlying AD.This research received no external funding. B.A.-M. is recipient of a and “López Albo” Post-Residency Programme funded by Servicio Cántabro de Salud. S.R.-M. is supported by funds of the RETICS Program (RD16/0012/0009) (Instituto de Salud Carlos III, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund)

NEDD9, an independent good prognostic factor in intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia patients

Altres ajuts: Fundació La Marató TV3 [416/C/2013-2030,100830/31/32]; Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute [P/AG 2014]; Spanish Health Research Program [PI12/02321]; Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) [to MCC]; and a grant from the Cellex Foundation, Barcelona.Intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (IR-AML) is the largest subgroup of AML patients and is highly heterogeneous. Whereas adverse and favourable risk patients have well-established treatment protocols, IR-AML patients have not. It is, therefore, crucial to find novel factors that stratify this subgroup to implement risk-adapted strategies. The CAS (Crk-associated substrate) adaptor protein family regulates cell proliferation, survival, migration and adhesion. Despite its association with metastatic dissemination and prognosis of different solid tumors, the role of these proteins in hematological malignancies has been scarcely evaluated. Nevertheless, previous work has established an important role for the CAS family members NEDD9 or BCAR1 in the migratory and dissemination capacities of myeloid cells. On this basis, we hypothesized that NEDD9 or BCAR1 expression levels could associate with survival in IR-AML patients and become new prognostic markers. To that purpose, we assessed BCAR1 and NEDD9 gene expression in a cohort of 73 adult AML patients validating the results in an independent cohort (n = 206). We have identified NEDD9, but not BCAR1, as a new a marker for longer overall and disease-free survival, and for lower cumulative incidence of relapse. In summary, NEDD9 gene expression is an independent prognostic factor for favourable prognosis in IR-AML patients