Photovoltaic Installation project in Ribelles

Treballs Finals del Màster d’Energies Renovables i Sostenibilitat Energètica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2019-2020, Tutor: Jordi Andreu BatalléEn el treball realitzat s’ha dimensionat un sistema fotovoltaic connectat a la red elèctrica per tal de cobrir en el consum elèctric actual en una masia de Ribelles. El projecte es centra en un instal·lació avícola amb un elevat consum elèctric d’aproximadament 52.000kwh/any. Es presenta un consum desigual a causa de les dinàmiques de creixement de les aus. Actualment el sistema queda limitat per la part econòmica, ja que no es disposa de suficient capital per realitza la instal·lació completa, es a dir, per cobrir el consum anual mitjançant 123 plaques i dos inversor i per tant s’ha reduït el nombre de plaques a 68 i un inversor. Amb l’objectiu que en les 5 anys d’amortització del projecte es puguin incrementar les plaques solar, i aconseguir tenir font d’energia elèctrica completament renovable, així com també la possibilitat de venda l’electricitat sobrant a la red elèctrica ja que el consum desigual comentat anteriorment permet disposar de grans quantitats d’energia sobrant en alguns mesos de l’an

¿Existen desigualdades en la formación de chicas y chicos en ciencias?

A nivel internacional, los estudios de género han suscitado recientemente mucho interés. Para conocer el éxito escolar de alumnas y alumnos en la superación de curso y evaluar posible diferencias de género, se recogen los datos de matrícula y de éxito escolar en Catalunya, desde el curso 1999-2000 hasta el 2008-2009, en cuatro momentos del itinerario escolar: sexto de Primaria, cuarto de ESO y primero y segundo de Bachillerato. El análisis de los datos incluye la discusión desde la perspectiva de la equidad en las tasa de graduación de niños y niñas, en Primaria y en Secundaria. La continuidad del estudio indica la necesidad de prestar atención de manera preferente a la variable de género en las propuestas e investigaciones en didáctica de las ciencias

Sobre el psicoanálisis y las psicoterapias de orientación psicoanalítica. Posicionamiento de la Sociedad Española de Psicoanálisis (SEP) en relación con el Psicoanálisis y las pseudoterapias

Ante la presentación del “Plan para la Protección de la Salud frente a las pseudoterapias” del Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social compartimos el necesario objetivo de regular y actualizar la práctica profesional de la Salud Mental tanto en el ámbito público como en el privado, ya que forma parte de la responsabilidad deontológica de nuestras profesiones y en este sentido, también lo es, el realizar una serie de puntualizaciones sobre la consideración del Psicoanálisis, en respuesta a la citada necesidad y a opiniones tópicas que desde hace años se vierten en medios de comunicación, redes sociales y algunos medios profesionales. De acuerdo con esto, aclaramos que el Psicoanálisis actual es una psicología eminentemente centrada en los fenómenos relacionales y que parte de una concepción bio-psico-social del ser humano y, por tanto, está basado en una multicausalidad compleja. Evoluciona continuamente en nuevos modelos que intentan aportar comprensión sobre el funcionamiento humano, así como en nuevas técnicas y formatos de intervención que logran buenos resultados, al menos tan buenos como, y en algunos aspectos, mejores que otros tratamientos basados en la evidencia en psiquiatría.Reacting to the presentation of the “Plan for the Protection of Health Against Pseudotherapies” of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare, the Spanish Sociey of Psychoanalysis shares the necessary objective of regulating and updating the professional practice of Mental Health both in the public and private spheres , since it is part of the deontological responsibility of our professions. In this sense, we consider that it is also necessary to respond in order to clarify some topical opinions about Psychoanalysis that have been poured into media of communication, social networks and some professional media. The current Psychoanalysis is a Psychology eminently focused on relational phenomena, from a bio-psycho-social conception of the human being in wich therefore, a complex multicausality is assumed. Psychoanalysis continuously evolves in new models that try to provide understanding about human functioning, as well as in new techniques and intervention formats that achieve good results, at least as good as, and in some aspects, better than other evidence-based treatments in Psychiatry

In Vivo Detection of Perinatal Brain Metabolite Changes in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)

Background Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a risk factor for abnormal neurodevelopment.We studied a rabbit model of IUGR by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS), to assess in vivo brain structural and metabolic consequences, and identify potential metabolic biomarkers for clinical translation. Methods IUGR was induced in 3 pregnant rabbits at gestational day 25, by 40-50% uteroplacental vessel ligation in one horn; the contralateral horn was used as control. Fetuses were delivered at day 30 and weighted. A total of 6 controls and 5 IUGR pups underwent T2-w MRI and localized proton MRS within the first 8 hours of life, at 7T. Changes in brain tissue volumes and respective contributions to each MRS voxel were estimated by semi-automated registration of MRI images with a digital atlas of the rabbit brain. MRS data were used for: (i) absolute metabolite quantifications, using linear fitting; (ii) local temperature estimations, based on the water chemical shift; and (iii) classification, using spectral pattern analysis. Results Lower birth weight was associated with (i) smaller brain sizes, (ii) slightly lower brain temperatures, and (iii) differential metabolite profile changes in specific regions of the brain parenchyma. Specifically, we found estimated lower levels of aspartate and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus (suggesting neuronal impairment), and higher glycine levels in the striatum (possible marker of brain injury). Our results also suggest that the metabolic changes in cortical regions are more prevalent than those detected in hippocampus and striatum. Conclusions IUGR was associated with brain metabolic changes in vivo, which correlate well with the neurostructural changes and neurodevelopment problems described in IUGR. Metabolic parameters could constitute non invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis and abnormal neurodevelopment of perinatal origin

A Free App for Diagnosing Burnout (BurnOut App): Development Study

Background: Health specialists take care of us, but who takes care of them? These professionals are the most vulnerable to the increasingly common syndrome known as burnout. Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as a result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Objective: This study aims to develop a useful app providing burnout self-diagnosis and tracking of burnout through a simple, intuitive, and user-friendly interface. Methods: We present the BurnOut app, an Android app developed using the Xamarin and MVVMCross platforms, which allows users to detect critical cases of psychological discomfort by implementing the Goldberg and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory tests. Results: The BurnOut app is robust, user-friendly, and efficient. The good performance of the app was demonstrated by comparing its features with those of similar apps in the literature. Conclusions: The BurnOut app is very useful for health specialists or users, in general, to detect burnout early and track its evolution.This work was supported by project PID2020-113614RB-C22, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. JV is a Serra Húnter fello

Holocene humidity changes in southern Iberia inferred from the geochemical signature of marine sediments

The Mediterranean region is particularly sensitive to global climate variability that critically reflects on its hydrological conditions. A recently published high resolution reconstruction of Holocene Sea Surface Temperature (SST) based on Globigerina bulloides Mg/Ca ratios, set the basis to explore, within a warm climatic period, the impact of North Atlantic oceanographic conditions shaping the properties of the inflowing waters into the Mediterranean Sea. Here we go a step further in establishing the potential links between these oceanographical changes with the hydrological conditions on the southern Iberian Peninsula.This study combines XRF-core-scanner analyses with the radiogenic isotopes characterization (Sr, Nd and Pb) of the terrigenous fraction in core ALB-2 from the Alboran Sea. Results indicate that the most humid conditions developed during the early to middle Holocene with a transition towards drier conditions and colder SST that occurred by the late Holocene. The radiogenic Sr, Nd and Pb records do not show any covariance with the millennial scale oscillations shown in the Zr and K XRF records interpreted as humidity changes. This could suggest that inputs of African dust are not the main controlling factor in the XRF records. In contrast, the Sr isotope record shows a significant transition around the middle Holocene while SSTs show a cooling trend. For an accurate interpretation of that feature, this study also targets a novel approach by characterizing the radiogenic isotope composition of settling particles recovered by moored sediment traps under well characterized meteorological conditions

Docosahexaenoic Acid and Melatonin Prevent Impaired Oligodendrogenesis Induced by Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)

In this study, our aims were to characterize oligodendrogenesis alterations in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and to find therapeutic strategies to prevent/treat them using a novel rabbit in vitro neurosphere culture. IUGR was surgically induced in one uterine horn of pregnant rabbits, while the contralateral horn served as a control. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) were obtained from pup's whole brain and cultured as neurospheres mimicking the basic processes of brain development including migration and cell differentiation. Five substances, chosen based on evidence provided in the literature, were screened in vitro in neurospheres from untreated rabbits: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), melatonin (MEL), zinc, 3,3',5-Triiodo-L-thyronine (T3), and lactoferrin (LF) or its metabolite sialic acid (SA). DHA, MEL and LF were further selected for in vivo administration and subsequent evaluation in the Neurosphere Assay. In the IUGR culture, we observed a significantly reduced percentage of oligodendrocytes (OLs) which correlated with clinical findings indicating white matter injury in IUGR infants. We identified DHA and MEL as the most effective therapies. In all cases, our in vitro rabbit neurosphere assay predicted the outcome of the in vivo administration of the therapies and confirmed the reliability of the model, making it a powerful and consistent tool to select new neuroprotective therapies

Metabolomics reveals metabolic alterations by intrauterine growth restriction in the fetal rabbit brain

Background: Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) due to placental insufficiency occurs in 5-10% of pregnancies and is a major risk factor for abnormal neurodevelopment. The perinatal diagnosis of IUGR related abnormal neurodevelopment represents a major challenge in fetal medicine. The development of clinical biomarkers is considered a promising approach, but requires the identification of biochemical/molecular alterations by IUGR in the fetal brain. This targeted metabolomics study in a rabbit IUGR model aimed to obtain mechanistic insight into the effects of IUGR on the fetal brain and identify metabolite candidates for biomarker development. Methodology/Principal Findings: At gestation day 25, IUGR was induced in two New Zealand rabbits by 40-50% uteroplacental vessel ligation in one horn and the contralateral horn was used as control. At day 30, fetuses were delivered by Cesarian section, weighed and brains collected for metabolomics analysis. Results showed that IUGR fetuses had a significantly lower birth and brain weight compared to controls. Metabolomics analysis using liquid chromatographyquadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) and database matching identified 78 metabolites. Comparison of metabolite intensities using a t-test demonstrated that 18 metabolites were significantly different between control and IUGR brain tissue, including neurotransmitters/peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, energy metabolism intermediates and oxidative stress metabolites. Principle component and hierarchical cluster analysis showed cluster formations that clearly separated control from IUGR brain tissue samples, revealing the potential to develop predictive biomarkers. Moreover birth weight and metabolite intensity correlations indicated that the extent of alterations was dependent on the severity of IUGR. Conclusions: IUGR leads to metabolic alterations in the fetal rabbit brain, involving neuronal viability, energy metabolism, amino acid levels, fatty acid profiles and oxidative stress mechanisms. Overall findings identified aspargine, ornithine, Nacetylaspartylglutamic acid, N-acetylaspartate and palmitoleic acid as potential metabolite candidates to develop clinical biomarkers for the perinatal diagnosis of IUGR related abnormal neurodevelopment

Permanent cardiac sarcomere changes in a rabbit model of intrauterine growth restriction

Background: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) induces fetal cardiac remodelling and dysfunction, which persists postnatally and may explain the link between low birth weight and increased cardiovascular mortality in adulthood. However, the cellular and molecular bases for these changes are still not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that IUGR is associated with structural and functional gene expression changes in the fetal sarcomere cytoarchitecture, which remain present in adulthood. Methods and results: IUGR was induced in New Zealand pregnant rabbits by selective ligation of the utero-placental vessels. Fetal echocardiography demonstrated more globular hearts and signs of cardiac dysfunction in IUGR. Second harmonic generation microscopy (SHGM) showed shorter sarcomere length and shorter A-band and thick-thin filament interaction lengths, that were already present in utero and persisted at 70 postnatal days (adulthood). Sarcomeric M-band (GO: 0031430) functional term was over-represented in IUGR fetal hearts. Conclusion: The results suggest that IUGR induces cardiac dysfunction and permanent changes on the sarcomere