The Microbially Extended Phenotype of Plants, a Keystone against Abiotic Stress

[EN] Background: Climate change affects every region across the globe with heterogeneous effects on local temperatures and precipitation patterns. In plants, sessile organisms, climate change imposes more drastic effects leading to loss of yield or even death. However, plants establish mutualistic interactions with microorganisms that boost plant tolerance against abiotic stresses or strengthen the plant immune system against pathogens, thus, enhancing their survival and fitness. Moreover, in the wild, microbial endophytes provide important ecosystem services. Purpose and scope: Little we know about the mechanisms of response against the adverse effects of climate change on natural populations of wild plants and even less about the potential role played by microbial biostimulants. In this article, we review the effects of biostimulants on plant responses against abiotic stresses, with a particular focus on the role of mycorrhizas and leaf endophytes. Results: We have reviewed the effects of the main abiotic stresses in plants, the mechanisms that plants use to face these abiotic challenges, and the interaction plant-biostimulant-abiotic stress, highlighting the primary responses and parameters to evaluate different plant responses. Conclusion: Abiotic stresses can check the phenotypic plasticity of plants and also trigger a complex and heterogeneous array of responses to face different abiotic stresses, and beneficial microorganisms do play an essential role in enhancing such responses. Our laboratory has initiated a project to characterise microbial populations associated with plants from wild areas and analyse their potential role in aiding the plants to cope with abiotic stresses.This study was supported by a Maria Zambrano distinguished researcher contract to MXR-G, and funded by both the Ministerio de Universidades (Gobierno de Espana) and the Next generation EU. The authors have no competing financial interests.Ruiz-González, MX.; Vicente, O. (2022). The Microbially Extended Phenotype of Plants, a Keystone against Abiotic Stress. The Eurobiotech Journal. 6(4):174-182. https://doi.org/10.2478/ebtj-2022-00171741826

Layer Selection in Progressive Transmission of Motion-Compensated JPEG2000 Video

MCJ2K (Motion-Compensated JPEG2000) is a video codec based on MCTF (Motion- Compensated Temporal Filtering) and J2K (JPEG2000). MCTF analyzes a sequence of images, generating a collection of temporal sub-bands, which are compressed with J2K. The R/D (Rate-Distortion) performance in MCJ2K is better than the MJ2K (Motion JPEG2000) extension, especially if there is a high level of temporal redundancy. MCJ2K codestreams can be served by standard JPIP (J2K Interactive Protocol) servers, thanks to the use of only J2K standard file formats. In bandwidth-constrained scenarios, an important issue in MCJ2K is determining the amount of data of each temporal sub-band that must be transmitted to maximize the quality of the reconstructions at the client side. To solve this problem, we have proposed two rate-allocation algorithms which provide reconstructions that are progressive in quality. The first, OSLA (Optimized Sub-band Layers Allocation), determines the best progression of quality layers, but is computationally expensive. The second, ESLA (Estimated-Slope sub-band Layers Allocation), is sub-optimal in most cases, but much faster and more convenient for real-time streaming scenarios. An experimental comparison shows that even when a straightforward motion compensation scheme is used, the R/D performance of MCJ2K competitive is compared not only to MJ2K, but also with respect to other standard scalable video codecs

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of primary healthcare professionals to female genital mutilation in Valencia, Spain: are we ready for this challenge?

The practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a deeply-rooted tradition in 30 Sub-Saharan and Middle-East countries which affects approximately 200 million women and girls worldwide. The practice leads to devastating consequences on the health and quality of life of women and girls in both the short and long term. Globalizing processes and migration flows have recorded cases of this practice worldwide representing for healthcare professionals an emerging challenge on how to approach their healthcare in a transcultural, ethical and respectful way. No survey to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices on FGM among primary healthcare professionals has been conducted in the Valencian region of Spain to date

Review of the use of guiding questions in the scope of design engineering

Comunicació presentada al 23rd International Congress on Project Management and Engineering. CIDIP 2019 (Málaga, 10-12 July 2019).Guiding Questions are used, among other possibilities, as a method for learn, evaluate and reach new ideas. Within the scope of Engineering Design, they allow driving the designer in the conceptual phase, and they are adequate for analysing a broad variety of aspects which are not usually considered in the early creative process. Guiding Questions help to frame hypothetical situations for product uses, both present and future ones, and also their interaction with the users. So, using them in the early phases of the development of the design process will help in a better adaptability of the product to new needs, in prolong their useful lifetime and, in conclusion, they help in increase the user satisfaction. In brief, this communication shows an analysis in depth of the different uses of guiding questions within the creative process in the product design framework.Las preguntas guiadas (Guiding Questions) se pueden utilizar como método de aprendizaje, evaluación y obtención de nuevas ideas. En el ámbito del Diseño, permiten conducir al diseñador en la fase conceptual y son la herramienta adecuada para analizar una gran variedad de aspectos no considerados inicialmente en el proceso creativo. Las preguntas guiadas ayudan a enmarcar hipotéticas situaciones del uso del producto, presentes o futuras, y de la interacción con el usuario, por lo que utilizarlas en fases iniciales del desarrollo del proceso de diseño nos ayudará a que el producto se adapte mejor a nuevas necesidades, a que alargue su vida útil y, en definitiva, contribuya a aumentar la satisfacción del usuario. Esta comunicación, por tanto, muestra un análisis en profundidad de los diferentes usos de las preguntas guiadas dentro del proceso creativo propio del ámbito del diseño de producto

Analysis of the circularity metrics applicability in the conceptual product desgin stage

Comunicació presentada al 23rd International Congress on Project Management and Engineering (Málaga, 10-12 July 2019).In circular design, the products keep the resources in circulation during all life cycle phases as long as possible, without generating waste. The circular design helps to expand the Circular Economy in replacement of the current predominant linear system. Several metrics to assess how circular is a product and methods to assess the circularity improvement potential of a product have been published. Some of these metrics require detailed information of the product and others are based on qualitative evaluations of several circularity criterion between two opposite extreme situations. The conceptual design stage is characterized by creativity and divergency to reach new designs. These designs are not completely defined, but must be analysed in order to select one design alternative to develop between all the proposals generated. This work analyses how some of the existing circular metrics can be applied to measure circularity in the conceptual design stage. For this purpose, some of these metrics and methods are compiled and compared, analysing their complexity level, comparing them and identifying the information about the product needed to use them.En el diseño circular los productos mantienen los recursos en circulación durante todas las fases del ciclo de vida del producto el mayor tiempo posible, sin generar residuos. El diseño circular ayuda pues en gran medida a la expansión de la Economía Circular en sustitución del actual sistema predominantemente lineal. En los últimos tiempos, se han publicado varias métricas para valorar cuánto de circular es un producto y métodos para valorar el potencial de mejora de la circularidad de un producto. Algunas de estas métricas requieren de información detallada del producto y otras se basan en valoraciones cualitativas de varios criterios de circularidad entre dos situaciones extremas opuestas. La fase de diseño conceptual se caracteriza por la creatividad y divergencia para llegar a diseños novedosos. Éstos están poco definidos, pero deben analizarse para seleccionar una entre todas las alternativas generadas. Este trabajo analiza cómo se pueden aplicar algunas de las métricas de circularidad existentes para medir la circularidad en la fase de diseño conceptual. Para ello, se recopilan y comparan algunas de estas métricas y métodos, analizando el nivel de complejidad, realizando una comparación entre ellas e identificando la información que se requiere conocer para su us

La electroestimulación como complemento al entrenamiento isométrico voluntario en la mejora de la fuerza isométrica máxima. Diferencias entre hombres y mujeres de mediana edad

En el presente estudio se analiza la eficacia de la electroestimulación como complemento al entrenamiento voluntario de la fuerza isométrica máxima (FIM). Para ello se estudió la mejora de la FIM en 20 sujetos de mediana edad de ambos sexos (n = 20). Tras el protocolo de entrenamiento se encontraron diferencias significativas en ambos entrenamientos. Se encontró mayor estabilidad en la respuesta del grupo que solo empleó entrenamiento isométrico voluntario, no obstante, se encontró un mayor rango de mejora del grupo que empleó electroestimulación simultánea al entrenamiento. De los resultados se deduce la necesidad de un trabajo específico y totalmente personalizado para hallar los parámetros óptimos de entrenamiento con el uso de estas tecnologías, ya que el incremento en el rendimiento será mucho más favorable

Analysis of parameters about useful life extension in 70 tools and methods related to eco-design and circular economy

One of the approaches followed by the circular economy (CE) to achieve sustainability through design is product life extension. Extending the life of products to make them useful for as long as possible is a means to reduce waste production and materials consumption, as well as the related impacts. For designers, conceptualizing products in a way that allows them to be used for longer is a challenge, and assessing how well they extend their lifespan can be helpful when it comes to choosing the best proposal. In this paper, 70 tools and methods related to eco-design and circular economy are studied to determine how many of them consider parameters related to life extension and which can be applied in the early stages of design. The results of the analysis show that most of the existing tools and methods are applicable to developed products, and only a few of them take into account parameters related to extending the useful life. Of the 70 tools and methods, only 14 include some parameter related to life extension and are applicable to concepts. CE toolkit, Eco-design PILOT, CE Designer, Circularity Assessment tool, Circularity Potential Indicator and Circular Design Tools take into consideration eight or more parameters to assess life extension in concepts. This will help designers select the most appropriate and will indicate the need for more complete tools to consider useful life extension in the early stages of design and thus enhance the selection of more sustainable products.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

A metric for evaluating novelty and circularity as a whole in conceptual design proposals

Product design is one of the most important factors to introduce the circular economy model. In this discipline, the decisions made influence the whole life cycle of the product, since the raw material obtaining to the end of life of the product. Product engineering uses resources, both technical and material to create products. In this way, among all stages that product design encompasses, most relevant and significant decisions are taken during the conceptual stage, when changes can more easily be introduced. On the other hand, creativity plays an important role in introducing new features in products (as circularity is) in a new way. To implement in a proper manner these new functionalities in the products the concepts have to be evaluated. There are methods for assessing novelty and for assessing circularity, but in the case of circularity they are focused on products that have already been developed. Moreover, these methods do not assess circularity in a holistic way, as they only cover some of the aspects that the circular economy encompasses. This work intends to fill the gap that currently exists in the tools for evaluating product concepts by designing a metric, CN_Con, that measures the circularity and the novelty of conceptual proposals as a whole. The metric works according the product functions and analysing the novelty, the strategies for durability and for extending the useful life of the product that the concepts use. It also assesses the raw material and the end of life of the materials with which the concepts are designed. The development of CN_Con will help to implement the circular economy paradigm while encouraging creative design solutions.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

The relationship between personal intrinsic factors towards a design problem and the degree of novelty and circularity

The aim of this work is to determine how personal intrinsic factors towards a design problem are related to novelty and circularity. A deeper understanding of this relationship will be a valuable aid when it comes to making an adequate selection of design teams. The factors studied are the level of the designer's motivation, relevance, knowledge and affinity with regard to the design problem. To this end, a study was conducted with 35 novice designers, organised in groups of between two and five members. Each group had to propose a conceptual solution to two different design problems. Novelty was assessed using the SAPPhIRE causality model (which stands for State–Action–Part–Phenomenon–Input–oRgan–Effect) and the Circular Economy Toolkit was applied to measure circularity. The results show that as motivation, level of knowledge, perception of relevance and affinity for the problem increase, the solution displays greater novelty and less circularity, although for circularity, the difference is not statistically significant.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume