Conventional microscopy versus FISH: identification of filamentous Eikelboom type 021N bacteria and Thiothrix nivea group in activated sludge

[EN] Excessive growth of filamentous bacteria in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) causes serious operational problems. Therefore, their identification and quantification is essential in the process control. Some filamentous bacteria that belong to the class Gammaproteobacteria are very common and abundant in urban and industrial WWTP, as for example the filamentous bacteria belong to the genus Thiothrix. Due to the low specificity of conventional microscopy, occasionally may produce errors in the identification and quantification of filamentous bacteria. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the abundance of filamentous Eikelboom type 021N bacteria and Thiothix nivea group obtained by conventional microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization using 16S rRNAtargeted oligonucleotides (FISH) in samples from four WWTP. The results have established that there are significant differences when comparing the results of identification and quantification between both techniques. Besides, the FISH technique revealed differences in the population dynamics of T. nivea and T. fructosivorans to correlate both microorganisms with different environmental variables.[ES] El crecimiento excesivo de bacterias filamentosas en fangos activos origina problemas de explotación en las estaciones depuradoras de aguas residuales (EDAR). Por ello, su correcta identificación y cuantificación es primordial en el control del proceso de las EDAR. Algunas bacterias filamentosas que pertenecen a la clase Gammaproteobacteria son muy comunes y abundantes en las EDAR urbanas e industriales, como por ejemplo las bacterias pertenecientes al género Thiothrix. Debido a la escasa especificidad de la microscopía convencional, se pueden producir, en algunas ocasiones, errores en la identificación y cuantificación de las bacterias filamentosas. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio fue comparar la abundancia de las bacterias pertenecientes al grupo Thiothrix nivea y tipo 021N de Eikelboom obtenida con la microscopía convencional y la técnica de hibridación in situ con sondas marcadas con fluoróforos (FISH) en muestras procedentes de cuatro EDAR. Los resultados obtenidos han permitido establecer que existen diferencias significativas al comparar los resultados de identificación y cuantificación entre ambas técnicas. Además, la técnica FISH reveló diferencias en la dinámica poblacional de T. nivea y T. fructosivorans al asociarse ambos microorganismos con diferentes variables ambientales.Este estudio forma parte del proyecto de investigación 'Estudio integrado del proceso de fangos activos', financiado por la Entidad Pública de Saneamiento de Aguas Residuales de la Comunidad Valenciana (EPSAR). Se agradece la colaboración de las empresas de explotación AVSA-EGEVASA, DAM, FACSA y OMSSACEDE.Zornoza-Zornoza, AM.; Romera Lozano, V.; Lledías Aparici, M.; Alonso Molina, JL. (2016). Microscopía convencional vs. FISH: identificación de bacterias filamentosas tipo 021N de Eikelboom y grupo Thiothrix nivea en fangos activos. Tecnoaqua. (22):64-72. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/98069S64722

Coordinación interuniversitaria para la realización virtual de prácticas sanitarias a través de videoconferencias

El Proyecto de Innovación presente tuvo como objetivo fundamental continuar con la experiencia de la I Jornada Interuniversitaria online de Práctica Logopédica adecuándola al sentido de un proyecto de innovación docente propiamente. Para ello, no se trataba únicamente de ofrecer conferencias a estudiantes con necesidades de formación práctica, sino dotar de una estructura y sentido formativo a los documentos audiovisuales. El objetivo general fue entonces el dotar de estructura tanto a nivel teórico como a nivel aplicado a un banco de vídeos destinados a la formación práctica de estudiantes del Grado de Logopedia

Application of mismatch equations in dynamic seating designs

Anthropometry is critical for product and workplace design. Highly prevalent, office work is associated with sedentarism and physical discomfort due to prolonged sitting. Dynamic seating (alternating across sitting, perching, and standing) has been suggested as an alternative to overcome those problems. The current study tested a large sample of anthropometric data for mismatch levels against national and international office furniture standards using dynamic seating as a framework with traditional and perching mismatch equations, applied to three recommended dynamic seating components. Dimensions present in the standards used did not match the majority of the sample. For sitting, seat width and depth individually presented the lowest levels of match, as well as under cumulative fit of all office furniture dimensions. However, these were alleviated when incorporating adjustability. Perching was shown to be generally impeded given commercially-available chair height options. Limitations in state-of-the-art perching equations are discussed, and two new models are proposed as design alternatives. Further research should focus on testing the criteria presented in this research through discomfort and objective measures.Mutual de Seguridad de la C. Ch.C in the framework of the fund titled “Proyectos de Investigacion ´ e Innovacion ´ SUSESO”. That fund requires the following text be included: “Este trabajo fue seleccionado en la Convocatoria de Proyectos de Investigacion ´ e Innovacion ´ de Prevencion ´ de Accidentes y Enfermedades Profesionales “2015” de la Superintendencia de Seguridad Social (Chile), y fue financiado por “Mutual de Seguridad de la C. Ch.C′′ con recursos del Seguro Social de la Ley N◦ 16.744 de Accidentes del Trabajo y Enfermedades Profesionales.

Applied anthropometry for common industrial settings design: Working and ideal manual handling heights

Anthropometry has been used extensively for designing safe and sustainable products and workplaces. However, it is common that designers need straightforward guidelines and dimensions, which they often lack, for specific design situations. Anthropometric data are usually presented in tables that summarize percentile values, separated by gender, of a specific population, which makes it difficult for designers to generate applications for mixed populations, such as industrial settings. Using a recently collected anthropometric database of Chilean workers (male and female), international standards of dimensions for working height, depth, and ideal manual handling height are tested with univariate and bivariate methods. Alternative dimensions are presented for both adjustable and non-adjustable designs. Additionally, procedures to combine samples, and for knowing how many users match with a particular design are explained using the sample data. As expected, adjustable designs proved to match with higher numbers of users, while non-adjustable dimensions recommended by ISO presented low levels of matching. Furthermore, the non-adjustable design achieved 83% of matching, which increased to the desired levels (90%) with the inclusion of a 50 mm increase platform. Finally, the Z-Score equation proved to be a useful tool to know the percentages of the population that are matched with a particular design dimension. Relevance for the industry: Dimensions for working height, depth, and ideal manual handling heights, which are currently not available, are provided for Chilean workers. A method to determine the matching percentage in a population is explained, in order to assess matching probabilities when having only summarized anthropometric tables and the dimensions for the design itself.This work was supported by the Mutual de Seguridad de la C. Ch.C in the framework of the fund titled “Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación SUSESO”. That fund requires the following text be included: “Este trabajo fue seleccionado en la Convocatoria de Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación de Prevención de Accidentes y Enfermedades Profesionales “2015” de la Superintendencia de Seguridad Social (Chile), y fue financiado por “Mutual de Seguridad de la C. Ch.C″ con recursos del Seguro Social de la Ley N° 16.744 de Accidentes del Trabajo y Enfermedades Profesionales.” The authors wish to thank all the participating workers, as well as the seven physiotherapists for their collaboration in the measurement process (Gonzalo Bravo, Agustina Cárdenas, Felipe Llanca, Ítalo Mercurino, Soraya Sabaj, Álvaro Villanueva, Romina Zamorano)

Gender inequality and sexual height dimorphism in Chile

Chile has experienced significant improvements in its economy; thus, a secular trend in height has been observed in its population. Gender equality has also improved hand in hand with active policies addressing the gender gap in several dimensions (work, education, health) and overall economic improvement. This study examined changes in sexual height dimorphism in four samples of Chilean male and female working-age subjects and attempted to establish associations with gender equality and welfare. Sexual height dimorphism was calculated and compared with gender equality and overall welfare indicators between 1955 and 1995. Sexual height dimorphism reduction was seen to be strongly associated with greater gender equality and some general welfare indicators, such as the infant mortality rate. Gross domestic product per capita was not associated with sexual height dimorphism, but it showed significant associations with gender equality indicators. Overall, the gender gap has been reduced in Chile, which can be observed through improvements in gender equality indicators and a reduction in height dimorphism, mainly in areas associated with women’s health. However, gender equality is still far behind in terms of female labour participation and women in political power, which require attention and further improvements.This work was supported by the Mutual de Seguridad C.Ch. C en el marco del fondo ‘Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación SUSESO’, ‘Trabajo fue seleccionado en la Convocatoria de Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación de Prevención de Accidentes y Enfermedades Profesionales “2015” de la Superintendencia de Seguridad Social (Chile), financiado por “Mutual de Seguridad la C.Ch. C” con recursos del Seguro Social de la Ley N°16.744 de Accidentes del Trabajo y Enfermedades Profesionales. It was also supported by the Fondo Nacional de Investigaci´on y Desarrollo en Salud (FONIS) No. SA11I2105, Gobierno de Chile (National Fund for Health Research and Development, Chilean Government)

Educational level and its relationship with body height and popliteal height in Chilean male workers

A secular trend in body height has been experienced in many nations and populations, hypothesized to be the result of better living conditions. Educational level has been shown to be closely associated with body height. This study examined the changes in body height and popliteal height in a group of adult Chilean male workers by age cohort and the relationship of these with educational level. The body heights and popliteal heights of 1404 male workers from the Valparaíso and Metropolitan regions of Chile were measured in 2016. The sample was grouped by level of education (primary, secondary, technical and university) and age (21-30, 31-40 and 41-50 years). Robust ANOVA and post-hoc analyses using a one-step modified M-estimation of location were conducted based on bootstrap resampling. Both body height and popliteal height increased from the older to the younger age cohort. The largest increase was from the 41-50 to the 21-30 group, with a 1.1% increase in body height and 1.7% increase in popliteal height. When educational level was introduced into the analysis there was a marked increase in both body height and popliteal height for each cohort, but only in primary- and secondary-educated workers. Despite showing an overall increase in body height and popliteal height, younger workers with the highest levels of education showed fewer differences between them than did older workers with less education. The differences were larger in the older than in the younger cohorts. Similarly, this trend was less clear in workers with higher levels of education (technical and university), probably because of a dilution effect caused by increased access to higher education by workers in the lower income quintiles.This work was supported by the ‘Mutual de Seguridad C.Ch.C’ with funding from ‘Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación SUSESO’ in ‘Trabajo fue seleccionado en la Convocatoria de Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación de Prevención de Accidentes y Enfermedades Profesionales “2015” de la Superintendencia de Seguridad Social (Chile)’. It was also financed by ‘Mutual de la C.Ch.C with the resources of Seguro Social de la Ley No. 16.744 de Accidentes del Trabajo y Enfermedades Profesionales’