Real-time monitoring system for shelf life estimation of fruit and vegetables

The control of the main environmental factors that influence the quality of perishable products is one of the main challenges of the food industry. Temperature is the main factor affecting quality, but other factors like relative humidity and gas concentrations (mainly C2H4, O2 and CO2) also play an important role in maintaining the postharvest quality of horticultural products. For this reason, monitoring such environmental factors is a key procedure to assure quality throughout shelf life and evaluate losses. Therefore, in order to estimate the quality losses that a perishable product can suffer during storage and transportation, a real-time monitoring system has been developed. This system can be used in all post-harvest steps thanks to its Wi-Fi wireless communication architecture. Several laboratory trials were conducted, using lettuce as a model, to determine quality-rating scales during shelf life under different storage temperature conditions. As a result, a multiple non-linear regression (MNLR) model is proposed relating the temperature and the maximum shelf life. This proposed model would allow to predict the days the commodities will reduce their theoretical shelf-life when an improper temperature during storage or in-transit occurs. The system, developed as a sensor-based tool, has been tested during several land transportation trips around Europe.The authors are grateful to Fruca Marketing S.L. for providing the lettuce used in this research, and to Transportes Directos del Segura SL and Transportes Mesa SL for the logistic support. We also are grateful to Miriam Montoya Gómez for the translation services

Ansiedad entre cuidadores de pacientes con Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica tras el alta hospitalaria

Objective: To identify the factors that influence changes in caregivers anxiety status three months after discharge for acute exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Methodology: Longitudinal study. Participants included 87 caregivers of patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation of COPD. Anxiety was measured at the time of hospitalization and three months after discharge. We measured factors from four domains: context of care, caregiving demands, caregiver resources, and patient characteristics. We used multiple univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to determine changes in anxiety three months later. Univariate and multivariate multiple logistic regressions were used to determine changes in anxiety three months later.Results: A total of 57.5% of caregivers reported anxiety at the time of hospitalization. Of these, 44% had a remission of their anxiety three months after discharge. However, 22% of caregivers who had not experienced anxiety at the hospitalization became anxious at 3 months. The severity of COPD and not receiving help from another caregiver decreased the likelihood of remission of anxiety. Moderately high overload increases the likelihood of experiencing anxiety symptoms.Conclusions: The perception of anxious symptoms is dynamic. Caregivers are likely to recover from anxiety when they receive help from another caregiver and if the patient they are caring for does not have severe COPD.Objetivo: Identificar los factores que influyen en cambios en la ansiedad de los cuidadores tres meses después del alta hospitalaria por exacerbación aguda de la Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica (EPOC).  Metodología: Estudio longitudinal. Participaron 87 cuidadores de pacientes hospitalizados por exacerbación aguda de EPOC. Se midió la ansiedad en el momento de la hospitalización y tres meses después del alta. Además, se midieron potenciales factores asociados a su cambio en cuatro dominios: Contexto del cuidado, demandas del cuidado, recursos y características del paciente. Utilizamos regresiones logísticas múltiples univariadas y multivariadas para determinar los cambios en la ansiedad tres meses después. Resultados: Presentaron ansiedad en el momento de la hospitalización el 57,5% de los cuidadores. De ellos, el 44% había remitido su ansiedad tres meses después del alta hospitalaria. Sin embargo, el 22% de los cuidadores quienes no habían presentado ansiedad en el momento de la hospitalización se mostraron ansiosos a los 3 meses. La gravedad de la EPOC y no recibir apoyo de otro cuidador disminuyó las probabilidades de remisión de la ansiedad. La sobrecarga moderadamente alta incrementa las probabilidades de presentar  nuevos síntomas de ansiedad. Conclusiones: La percepción de los síntomas de la ansiedad es dinámica. Los cuidadores pueden recuperarse si reciben ayuda de otro cuidador o si el paciente al que cuidan no está en un estado severo de EPOC

Acute and subchronic 90-days toxicity assessment of propyl-propane-thiosulfinate (PTS) in rats

The organosulfur compounds (OSC) extracted from Allium spp. exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. The agri-food industry is taking advantage of these properties by using them as natural feed and food additives. In the present work, an acute and a subchronic 90-days toxicity studies have been conducted for the first time to assess the safety of the OSC propyl-propane-thiosulfinate (PTS). Both studies were carried out following the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development test guidelines (425 and 408, respectively). The acute study provided a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 175 mg/kg and the subchronic study established the Non Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) ≥ 55 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)/day in both sexes. In addition, the subchronic study performed on rats exposed to 14, 28 and 55 mg/kg b.w./day PTS, revealed no changes in any of the hematological parameters measured as well as no differences in body weight and water/food consumption. However, biochemical parameters were altered in some groups, although they were not biologically significant (Ca2+ in female rats, and the thyroids hormones T3 and T4 in rat males). Furthermore, the histopathological assessment evidenced no abnormality on the gastrointestinal, respiratory, lymphoid, urinary, circulatory, nervous, musculoskeletal, and reproductive systems.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RTC-2017-6199-2Junta de Andalucía AT 2017–5323 and P18-TP-214

Geological monitoring of the lava flow on the shelf and slope of La Palma Island during de Tajogaite eruption, 2021

The Tajogaite volcanic eruption took place on the southwestern flank of La Palma Island between September 19th and December 13th, 2021. An oceanographic study of the area was carried out to control the effects of the submarine lava flow on the seabed, developed in three-time windows during the eruption. Changes in morphology, extent, and thickness, have been studied by combining pre and successive post-bathymetric datasets, with 1m of spatial resolution, using an MB710 multibeam echosounder. To characterize the lava flow facies and different substrate types it has been used an ROV-Liropus 2000. The first bathymetric survey was carried out in the most probable arrival zone of lava flow to the sea to establish the pre-eruption characteristics of the insular shelf and slope where several gullies and their head-scarps were located. On September 28th, the lava flow arrived at the ocean forming two lava deltas: the northern and smaller one located to the south of the Tazacorte harbor, and the southern and main one attached to the north side of the lava delta generated during the 1949¿s eruption. The new volcanic materials have been identified at least to a depth of 360 m and approximately 1.2 km from the initial shoreline, occupying an estimated submarine area of 35 ha. The northern lava delta has been emplaced on the inner shelf but in the southern one, the subaerial part reaches the old shelf edge where they have rested on a rocky platform and the submarine lava flow has been channeled into shelf depressions and submarine gullies that intersect the shelf border and the upper slope, totally transforming the relief. Lava flows advanced along the seabed both as ¿aa¿ and block flows in the proximal area, also forming megapillows of different sizes on the upper slope. The monitoring of this eruption allowed studying, in real-time, the arrival of a lava flow to the sea and the associated modification of the coast and seabed. Results provide additional information on the development of the eruptive episode on La Palma Island providing a more complete picture of the functioning of the volcanic system

Noble gas signals in corals predict submarine volcanic eruptions

Deep-water corals growing in close proximity to the 2011 submarine eruption at Tagoro (El Hierro Island; Canary Archipielago, Spain) have revealed their ability to record the magmatic helium (3He) signal during a period of months prior to the eruption with magmatic 3He/4He ratios of 3.6-5.0 RA This is similar to the range of He isotope values (3-10 Ra) obtained from olivine samples from basinites erupted during the 2011 Tagoro eruption. Whip-like black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia: Antipathidae: Stichopathes) growing on basaltic rocks trapped 3He within their skeletons. We used a theoretical growth rate to estimate the time of trapping of 3He between release from the magmatic source at depth to trapping by the aquatic organisms. Our findings suggest that magmatic 3He emission occurred a few months before the beginning of the seismic activity in the region, the latter occurring four months in advance of the beginning of the eruption. This discovery implies that corals living in submarine volcanic areas may act as archives of noble gases released before the beginning of an eruption, and that the continuous monitoring of 3He may help to constrain the arrival time of a subaqueous eruption with potential applications in volcano eruption forecasting.En prens

Origin and driving mechanisms of marine litter in the shelf-incised Motril, Carchuna, and Calahonda canyons (northern Alboran Sea)

Introduction and methodsMarine litter density, distribution and potential sources, and the impact on canyon seafloor habitats were investigated in the Motril, Carchuna and Calahonda canyons, located along the northern margin of the Alboran Sea. During the ALSSOMAR-S2S oceanographic survey carried out in 2019, canyon floor imagery was collected by a Remotely Operated Vehicle along 5 km in the Motril Canyon, 10 km in the Carchuna Canyon, and 3 km in Calahonda Canyon, together with 41 surficial sediment samples. Additionally, coastal uses, maritime traffic and fishing activity data were analyzed. A 50 m resolution multibeam bathymetry served as base map. ResultsIn the Motril and Calahonda canyons, the density of marine litter was low and the material was dispersed, very degraded and partially buried. In contrast, the Carchuna Canyon contained a greater amount and variety of litter. The Carchuna Canyon thalweg exhibited a density of marine litter up to 8.66 items center dot 100 m(-1), and litter hotspots with a density of up to 42 items center dot m(2) are found along the upper reaches of the canyon thalweg. DiscussionLow litter abundances found in the studied canyons most likely reflect low population densities and the absence of direct connections with streams in the nearby coasts. The high shelf incision of the Carchuna Canyon and its proximity to the coastline favor littoral sediment remobilization and capture as well as the formation of gravity flows that transport the marine litter along the thalweg toward the distal termination of the channel. Litter hotspots are favored by the canyon morphology and the occurrence of rocky outcrops. Most debris is of coastal origin and related to beach occupation and agricultural practices in the adjacent coastal plain. A third origin was represented by fishing gear in the study area. Fishing activity may be producing an impact through physical damage to the skeletons of the colonial scleractinians located in the walls of the Carchuna Canyon. In contrast, the Motril and Calahonda canyons can be considered passive systems that have mainly acted as depositional sinks in the recent past, as evidenced by buried marine litter.18-ESMARES2-CIRCA project of the Instituto Español de Oceanografıa; DL57/2016/CP1361/CT0009info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of the lava flows associated with the eruption of the volcano ot Cumbre vieja (2021) on the insular shelf and slope of La Palma island (Canary Islands)

Peer reviewe

Seafloor Morphology and Processes in the Alboran Sea

The seafloor of the Alboran Sea reflects its complex tectonic, sedimentary, and oceanography dynamics as a consequence of the geological context, involving interaction between the Eurasian and African plates, and oceanographic context, as it is where the Atlantic and Mediterranean waters meet. Their physiography has a semi-enclosed configuration characterized by two margins (the Spanish Iberian and North Africa—mostly Moroccan margins) enclosing deep basins. Tectonic activity is mainly attested by folds and faults that predominantly affect the central and eastern seafloor sectors, as well as numerous seamounts and fluid-flow features (pockmarks, mud volcanoes, and diapirs) that dot the seafloor. The sedimentary and oceanographic processes allow us to distinctly define two principal environments in the Alboran Sea: the shallow proximal margin (continental shelf); and the deep distal margin (continental slope and base of the slope) with the adjacent sub-basins. The shelf mostly comprises prodeltaic and infralittoral prograding wedges, with local bedform fields, submarine valleys, and wave-cut terraces. Coastal and fluvio-marine sedimentary processes, acting since the last glacial period, are responsible for these features. The deep marine environment is characterised by the ubiquity of contourites, whose continuity is interrupted by turbidite systems, canyons, and landslides. The alongslope action of the Mediterranean waters and their interfaces with the Atlantic water has been the main process governing transport, seafloor reworking, and sedimentation of contourites. Mass-movement processes are responsible for the formation of: (1) turbidite systems—turbidity flows and mass flows were dominant during the last glacial sea-level lowstand, evolving to dilute gravity flows during present interglacial high stand; and (2) landslides—the main triggering factors comprising over-steepening, seismicity, under consolidation due to overpressure by interstitial fluids, stratigraphy, and high sedimentation rates. Locally, still-undetermined biological activity in the Spanish and coral activity in the Moroccan margin generated fields of mounded bioconstructions. The seafloor morphology of the Alboran Sea offers interesting clues for assessing the main potential geological hazards, with tectonic seismicity and landslides (as well as their related tsunamis) being some of the most important potential hazards affecting coastal populations. In addition, the seafloor morphology in combination with assemblages of habitat-forming species enables habitat identification and mapping.En prens

From magma source to volcanic sink under Tagoro Volcano (El hierro, Canary Islands): Petrologic, Geochemical and Physiographic Evolution of the 2011-2012 Submarine Eruption

Active volcanoes are key laboratories to carry out detailed research -and monitoring- about the history of magmas before, during and after eruptions. Tagoro, the submarine active vol- cano at El Hierro Island (Canary archipelago), is a highly favorable case to assess and monitor its daily ongoing behaviour, as well as to study the links between the processes of magma genesis occurring at depth and their derived eruptive events at the surface. In this interdisciplinary research we combine new results of classical petrology (petrography, geochemistry, and thermodynamics) on the volcanic products expelled by Tagoro during the 2011–2012 eruption, with a high- resolution (5 m grid) bathymetry model car- ried out during 2017, and recent data from magnetometry, to refine the current knowl- edge of this eruption. Our results mainly reveal (i) slight magma differentiation and mixing processes at c. 12 km depth during a continuous eruptive pulse; (ii) a similar mag- matic evolution and residence times at depth between previous and 2011–2012 eruptions on the island; (iii) an insignificant interaction of external fluids with the magma at depth or within the ascent conduit; (iv) a present-day magnetometric anomaly under the Tagoro’s area; (v) a minimum volume estimate for the magma withdrawn from the plumbing system at depth.MINECO and FEDER: VULCANO I (CTM2012-36317). Instituto Español de Oceanografía.VULCANA (Vulcana IEO-2015-2017). Instituto Español de OceanografíaMINECO AND MEC. EXPLORA-CIENCIA (CGL2014—61775-EXP)MINECO AND MEC. EXPLORA-CIENCIA (CAS14-00189; MEC)Programa Propio mod. 1B— 2019 (USAL)EC Grant EVE (DG ECHO H2020 826292)PhD grant “Programa Propio III Universidad de Salamanca, cofounded by Banco de Santander”The PTI VOLCAN research initiatives.Peer reviewe

Effects of the lava flows associated to the Tajogaite volcano eruption (2021) on the insular shelf and slope of La Palma island

The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano started on September 19, 2021, on the island of La Palma, following a seismic swarm that affected the southern half of the island. The lava flowed westward and reached the coastline 8 days later in the area between Punta de la Bombilla and Tazacorte harbour. Four oceanographic cruises on board the research vessels Ramón Margalef and Ángeles Alvariño (Spanish Institute of Oceanography, IEO-CSIC) aimed to (i) characterizing the petrologic features prior to the arrival of the lava flows into the coastline, (ii) assessing the variations of the water-magma system when the lava flowed into the sea, and (iii) evaluating the main changes in the system after the end of the eruption. High-resolution bathymetric maps obtained with the multibeam echosounder EM710, combined with submarine high- definition ROV LIROPUS images and rocks samples collected from the sea bottom, showed that lava flowed down the shelf and upper slope as block (aa) and pillow lava flows, being conditioned by small gullies on the upper slope. Significant morphological changes have been defined in the subaerial northern and southern lava deltas (areas of 5,4 and 43 ha, respectively), and on a submarine area of ~30 ha. Volcanic material has been identified as far as 1.2 km from the original coastline at ~305 m seawater depth. Preliminary petrographic studies determine that the began as tephrites and later evolved intro basanites with olivine, pyroxene, amphibole and plagioclase phenocrysts within a glassy matrix with variable number of vesicles. The total volume of lava reaching the submarine environment is estimated of around 3 Mm3 with maximum thickness ca. 40 m along previous submarine slope gullies. Integrated with multidisciplinary analyses of the water column and ecosystem changes, this study will improve the knowledge of the magmatic evolution from depth up to eruption and will be useful for the risk management of future eruptive events.Peer reviewe