Diseño de bancos de ensayos para sensores y actuadores en vehículo transónico eléctrico no tripulado

Diseñar, desarrollar y fabricar un banco de ensayos para testar diferentes dispositivos antes de ser instalados en el prototipo del vehículo Hyperloop.Los resultados de los ensayos determinarán si un dispositivo o tecnología es apto para su integración en el sistema o no.El reto principal es conseguir simular la velocidad de 500km/h que llevará el prototipo del vehículo, para comprobar que los sensores funcionan en un entorno de vibraciones y altas velocidades. <br /

Resultats de la tècnica dels microsatèl·lits o SSR aplicada al trepat

L?objectiu d?aquest treball és fer la caracterització de la varietat trepat mitjançant la tècnica dels microsatèl·lits (SSR), i a partir del germoplasma de Bodegues Sumarroca, SL. Es tracta, doncs, de fer una exhaustiva revisió de les bases de dades ampelogràfiques, de la bibliografia i de tota la informació en línia, i comparar-la amb els resultats obtinguts a partir de l?estudi del genoma (microsatèl·lits en aquest cas).El objetivo de este trabajo es hacer la caracterización de la variedad trepat mediante la técnica de microsatélites (S. S. R.) y a partir del germoplasma de Bodegas Sumarroca, S. L. Se trata, pues, de hacer una exhaustiva revisión de las bases de datos ampelográficas, de la bibliografía y de toda la información en línea y compararla con los resultados obtenidos a partir del estudio del genoma (microsatélites en este caso)

Resultats de la tècnica dels microsatèl·lits o SSR aplicada al trepat

L?objectiu d?aquest treball és fer la caracterització de la varietat trepat mitjançant la tècnica dels microsatèl·lits (SSR), i a partir del germoplasma de Bodegues Sumarroca, SL. Es tracta, doncs, de fer una exhaustiva revisió de les bases de dades ampelogràfiques, de la bibliografia i de tota la informació en línia, i comparar-la amb els resultats obtinguts a partir de l?estudi del genoma (microsatèl·lits en aquest cas).El objetivo de este trabajo es hacer la caracterización de la variedad trepat mediante la técnica de microsatélites (S. S. R.) y a partir del germoplasma de Bodegas Sumarroca, S. L. Se trata, pues, de hacer una exhaustiva revisión de las bases de datos ampelográficas, de la bibliografía y de toda la información en línea y compararla con los resultados obtenidos a partir del estudio del genoma (microsatélites en este caso)

Estudi de l'evolució de la climatologia a la Conca de Barberà en els darrers cinquanta anys i les possibles repercussions en la viticultura del segle XXI

L'estudi s'ha dut a terme a Montblanc (capital de la Conca de Barberà). S'han analitzat tendències de temperatures i pluviometries per a cada estadi fenològic de la vinya, amb la finalitat de poder determinar els impactes sobre la viticultura de la zona. La base de dades correspon a l'observatori de Montblanc (coordenades UTM: X: 341.175; Y: 4.584.350; Z: 441 m s. n. m.). La sèrie climàtica de temperatures va des de l'any 1950 fins al 2007 i la pluviometria va des de l'any 1914 fins al 2007. Es poden observar tendències creixents de temperatures màximes i una lleugera pujada de les temperatures mínimes. Les precipitacions disminueixen progressivament cada any i es concentren en determinades èpoques de l'any, per tant, es desestacionalitzen els períodes de pluges, i s'incrementa el dèficit hídric entre la brotada i el verol (és important recalcar que en aquest període l'estrès hídric ha de ser nul).El estudio se ha llevado a cabo en Montblanc (capital de la Conca de Barberà). Se ha analizado tendencias de temperaturas y pluviometrías para cada estado fenológico de la vid, con la finalidad de poder determinar los impactos sobre la viticultura de la zona. La base de datos corresponde al observatorio de Montblanc (coordenadas UTM: X: 341.175; Y: 4.584.350; Z: 441 m s. n. m.) La serie climática de temperaturas va desde el año 1950 hasta el 2007 y la pluviometría va desde el año 1914 hasta el 2007. Se pueden observar tendencias crecientes de temperaturas máximas y una ligera subida de las temperaturas mínimas. Las precipitaciones disminuyen progresivamente cada año y se concentran en determinadas épocas del año, por lo tanto se desestacionalizan los periodos de lluvia y se incrementa el déficit hídrico entre el brote y el envero (es importante recalcar que en este periodo el estrés hídrico ha de ser nulo)

COMPRENDO: Focus and approach

Tens of thousands of man-made chemicals are in regular use and discharged into the environment. Many of them are known to interfere with the hormonal systems in humans and wildlife. Given the complexity of endocrine systems, there are many ways in which endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can affect the body’s signaling system, and this makes unraveling the mechanisms of action of these chemicals difficult. A major concern is that some of these EDCs appear to be biologically active at extremely low concentrations. There is growing evidence to indicate that the guiding principle of traditional toxicology that “the dose makes the poison” may not always be the case because some EDCs do not induce the classical dose–response relationships. The European Union project COMPRENDO (Comparative Research on Endocrine Disrupters—Phylogenetic Approach and Common Principles focussing on Androgenic/Antiandrogenic Compounds) therefore aims to develop an understanding of potential health problems posed by androgenic and antiandrogenic compounds (AACs) to wildlife and humans by focusing on the commonalities and differences in responses to AACs across the animal kingdom (from invertebrates to vertebrates)

How can we justify grouping of nanoforms for hazard assessment? Concepts and tools to quantify similarity

The risk of each nanoform (NF) of the same substance cannot be assumed to be the same, as they may vary in their physicochemical characteristics, exposure and hazard. However, neither can we justify a need for more animal testing and resources to test every NF individually. To reduce the need to test all NFs, (regulatory) information requirements may be fulfilled by grouping approaches. For such grouping to be acceptable, it is important to demonstrate similarities in physicochemical properties, toxicokinetic behaviour, and (eco)toxicological behaviour. The GRACIOUS Framework supports the grouping of NFs, by identifying suitable grouping hypotheses that describe the key similarities between different NFs. The Framework then supports the user to gather the evidence required to test these hypotheses and to subsequently assess the similarity of the NFs within the proposed group. The evidence needed to support a hypothesis is gathered by an Integrated Approach to Testing and Assessment (IATA), designed as decision trees constructed of decision nodes. Each decision node asks the questions and provides the methods needed to obtain the most relevant information. This White paper outlines existing and novel methods to assess similarity of the data generated for each decision node, either via a pairwise analysis conducted property-by-property, or by assessing multiple decision nodes simultaneously via a multidimensional analysis. For the pairwise comparison conducted property-by-property we included in this White paper: • A Bayesian model assessment which compares two sets of values using nested sampling. This approach is new in NF grouping. • A Arsinh-Ordered Weighted Average model (Arsinh-OWA) which applies the arsinh transformation to the distance between two NFs, and then rescales the result to the arsinh of a biologically relevant threshold before grouping using OWA based distance. This approach is new in NF grouping. • An x-fold comparison as used in the ECETOC NanoApp. • Euclidean distance, which is a highly established distance metric. The x-fold, Bayesian and Arsinh-OWA distance algorithms performed comparably in the scoring of similarity between NF pairs. The Euclidean distance was also useful, but only with proper data transformation. The x-fold method does not standardize data, and thus produces skewed histograms, but has the advantage that it can be implemented without programming knowhow. A range of multidimensional evaluations, using for example dendrogram clustering approaches, were also investigated. Multidimensional distance metrics were demonstrated to be difficult to use in a regulatory context, but from a scientific perspective were found to offer unexpected insights into the overall similarity of very different materials. In conclusion, for regulatory purposes, a property-by-property evaluation of the data matrix is recommended to substantiate grouping, while the multidimensional approaches are considered to be tools of discovery rather than regulatory methods

The evolution of the ventilatory ratio is a prognostic factor in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients

Background: Mortality due to COVID-19 is high, especially in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of the study is to investigate associations between mortality and variables measured during the first three days of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 intubated at ICU admission. Methods: Multicenter, observational, cohort study includes consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to 44 Spanish ICUs between February 25 and July 31, 2020, who required intubation at ICU admission and mechanical ventilation for more than three days. We collected demographic and clinical data prior to admission; information about clinical evolution at days 1 and 3 of mechanical ventilation; and outcomes. Results: Of the 2,095 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 1,118 (53.3%) were intubated at day 1 and remained under mechanical ventilation at day three. From days 1 to 3, PaO2/FiO2 increased from 115.6 [80.0-171.2] to 180.0 [135.4-227.9] mmHg and the ventilatory ratio from 1.73 [1.33-2.25] to 1.96 [1.61-2.40]. In-hospital mortality was 38.7%. A higher increase between ICU admission and day 3 in the ventilatory ratio (OR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.07], p = 0.030) and creatinine levels (OR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.09], p = 0.005) and a lower increase in platelet counts (OR 0.96 [CI 0.93-1.00], p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher risk of death. No association between mortality and the PaO2/FiO2 variation was observed (OR 0.99 [CI 0.95 to 1.02], p = 0.47). Conclusions: Higher ventilatory ratio and its increase at day 3 is associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. No association was found in the PaO2/FiO2 variation

Establiment de bases científiques per al desenvolupament d'una estratègia integrada per avaluar toxicitat en reproducció

Report for the scientific sojourn at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Netherlands, from 2006 to 2008. This project aimed at creating scientific elements that could help deriving an integrated testing strategy for reproductive toxicity. Part of the project focused on the use of alternative tests for regulatory purposes. An in vitro-in vivo extrapolation method for embryotoxicity was proposed and evaluated. In vitro and in vivo dose descriptors were correlated; however, the scatter in the correlation was too large to allow an accurate estimation of an in vivo dose from an in vitro dose. The in vitro-in vivo extrapolation method together with toxicokinetic data was also applied to a category of substances (phthalates). Although based on a limited number of substances, the results suggested that in vitro-in vivo extrapolation for embryotoxicity is possible within a category of compounds if adequate toxicokinetic data is available. Because of the limitations that still remain in the use of alternative tests for reproductive toxicicity, other approaches to reduce animal testing were explored. Thus, a database of reproductive toxicity studies was created to retrospectively evaluate the comparative value of some studies or elements in a particular study. When compared to the subchronic toxicity study, the rat two-generation reproductive toxicity study had a considerable impact on the identification of hazard for reproductive toxicity, but not on the overall NOAEL. Among the two-generation studies included in our database, the second generation affected neither the overall NOAEL nor the critical effect. The rat and the rabbit developmental toxicity studies were, on average, similarly sensitive. However, for certain substances the developmental study in either one of the two species appeared to be more sensitive than in the other species

Steroid levels, steroid metabolic pathways and their modulation by endocrine disruptors in invertebrates

consultable des del TDXTítol obtingut de la portada digitalitzadaEl invertebrats constitueixen el 95% de les espècies animals i, com en el cas dels vertebrats, són susceptibles a l'efecte dels disruptors endocrins (DEs). Tot i això, la comprensió d'aquest fenomen està limitada pel desconeixement del sistema endocrí dels invertebrats. L'alteració de la síntesis i metabolisme d'hormones esteroides és un dels possibles mecanismes d'acció dels DEs. En aquesta tesi s'ha caracteritzat el metabolisme d'hormones esteroides en diferents espècies d'invertebrats per tal d'avaluar l'efecte in vitro de DEs en aquestes espècies, i finalment investigar l'efecte in vivo de DEs en els nivells i el metabolisme d'esteroides en espècies d'un filum seleccionat (Mol·lusca). Les espècies investigades (Mollusca: Marisa cornuarietis, Mytilus sp., i/o Crassostrea virginica; Crustacea: Hyalella azteca; i Echinoderma: Paracentrotus lividus) van metabolitzar la testosterona a una sèrie de metabolits de fase I que també són formats per vertebrats, amb l'excepció de 4-androstene-3?,17?-diol, un metabolit format per P. lividus i H. azteca. Una de les diferències més importants amb els vertebrats va ser la baixa contribució de les hidroxilacions en el metabolisme de testosterona, i en el cas dels mol·luscs, el metabolisme d'androstenediona (reducció en 5??en comptes de reducció en 17?). Pel que fa al metabolisme de testosterona de fase II, les sulfotransferases es trobaven en nivells alts en P. lividus, però baixos o indetectables en H. azteca i totes les espècies de mol·luscs investigades. En canvi, tots els invertebrats estudiats presentaven una gran capacitat de conjugació d'hormones esteroides amb àcid grassos, una via que sembla que ha estat ben conservada al llarg de l'evolució. Els nivells d'hormones esteroides i algunes de les vies enzimàtiques que les metabolitzen van mostrar diferències estacionals, entre diferents teixits i entre sexes, fet que recolza la possible funció fisiològica de les hormones esteroides en invertebrats. Alguns xenobiòtics van interferir in vitro amb els enzims que metabolitzen les hormones esteroides. Entre les vies investigades, la 5?-reductasa i la sulfotransferasa, van mostrar la sensibilitat més alta a inhibició/activació per tributilestany (TBT), trifenilestany (TPT) i fenarimol. Per últim es va investigar l'efecte de l'exposició a estradiol, petroli, i la barreja de petroli i compostos alquilfenòlics en bivalves Mytilus sp., i l'exposició a metiltestosterona, TBT, TPT i fenarimol en el gasteròpode M. cornuarietis. El tipus d'efectes induïts per l'estradiol van dependre en gran mesura de la seva concentració. Algunes de les respostes observades en els musclos exposats a petroli o la barreja de petroli i alquilfenols, van ser similars a les que s'havien observat per concentracions altes d'estradiol. En aquests experiments es va observar també el possible rol que juga la conjugació d'esteroides amb àcid grassos en la regulació dels nivells d'esteroides lliures. L'exposició als compostos organoestànnics (TBT i TPT) va causar l'aparició d'imposex i va resultar en una reducció del nivell d'esteroides en forma esterificada en femelles de M. cornuarietis, però no en mascles. Els altres compostos avaluats (metiltestosterona i fenarimol) van induir imposex en femelles, però no van mostrar alteracions en els nivells d'esteroides esterificats, de manera que no es va poder demostrar la connexió entre la davallada dels nivells d'esteroides conjugats amb àcids grassos i el fenomen de l'imposex. L'exposició a TPT va inhibir 5?-reductasa en femelles de M. cornuarietis. Tot i així, cap dels dos organoestànnics va alterar el dimorfisme sexual en el metabolisme d'androstenedione que existeix en el complex glàndula digestiva/gònada d'aquest gasteròpode. En resum, aquesta tesi contribueix al coneixement del metabolisme d'andrògens en invertebrats i identifica dianes on poden actuar els disruptors endocrins.Ninety-five percent of all animal species are invertebrates, and like vertebrates, they are susceptible to endocrine disruption. Nevertheless, there are important gaps on the knowledge of the endocrine system of invertebrates that hinder the understanding of the endocrine disruption phenomena in those species. Steroid synthesis and metabolism is one of several possible targets of endocrine disruptors. This thesis aimed to characterize sex steroid metabolism in different invertebrate species, to test the in vitro effect of model endocrine disruptors in those species, and to test the in vivo effect of model endocrine disruptors on steroid levels and metabolism in species from a selected phyla (Mollusca). The species investigated (Mollusca: Marisa cornuarietis, Mytilus sp., and/or Crassostrea virginica; Crustacea: Hyalella azteca; and Echinoderma: Paracentrotus lividus) were able to form a series of phase I metabolites of testosterone that are also formed by vertebrates, with the exception of 4-androstene-3?,17?-diol, a metabolite formed by P. lividus and H. azteca. One of the major differences with vertebrate species was the lower contribution of hydroxylases in the metabolism of testosterone, and the metabolic fate of androstenedione in molluscs (5?-reduction instead of 17?-reduction). Regarding phase II metabolism of testosterone, sulfotransferases were found at high levels in P. lividus, but low or undetectable levels were present in H. azteca and the molluscan species investigated. In contrast, the conjugation of steroids with fatty acid moieties was present in all invertebrates investigated, showing that acyl-CoA:steroid acyltransferases are well-conserved through evolution. Steroid levels and the enzymatic activities for some metabolic pathways showed differences between males and females, among tissues, and between seasons in some invertebrate species, which adds further evidence for a physiological role of sex steroids in invertebrates. Some xenobiotics modulated steroid metabolic pathways in invertebrates in vitro. Among the pathways investigated, 5?-reductase and sulfotransferase showed the highest sensitivity to inhibition/activation by tributyltin (TBT), triphenyltin (TPT) and fenarimol. Finally, the effects of the exposure to estradiol, crude oil, and the mixture of crude oil and alkylphenolic compounds in Mytilus sp. and the exposure to methyltestosterone, TBT, TPT and fenarimol in the gastropod M. cornuarietis were investigated. The type of effects induced by estradiol depended greatly on the concentration. Some of the responses observed in mussels exposed to crude oil and the mixture of crude oil and alkylphenols were similar to those observed in mussels exposed to the highest concentrations of estradiol. Those experiments also showed that esterification seems to play a key role in the regulation of free steroid levels in bivalve molluscs. The exposure to the organotin compounds (TBT and TPT) caused imposex and decreased esterified steroid levels in females of M. cornuarietis, but not in males. Methyltestosterone and fenarimol induced imposex in females, but did not lead to alterations in esterified steroid levels. Therefore, the connection between a decrease of esterified steroids and the phenomena of imposex could not be proved. The exposure to TPT inhibited???-reductase in female M. cornuarietis. However, neither TPT nor TBT altered the sexual dimorphism in androstenedione metabolism that exists in the digestive gland/gonad complex of this snail species. Overall, this thesis contributes to the knowledge of androgen metabolism in invertebrate species and identifies possible targets of endocrine disruption

Effects of 17β-estradiol exposure in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

4 pages, 2 figures.-- PMID: 15178065 [PubMed].-- Printed version published in issue Aug-Dec 2004.-- Issue title: "Twelfth International Symposium on Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms" (Tampa Bay, FL, United States, May 9-13, 2003).Mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were exposed to different concentrations of estradiol (20, 200, and 2000 ng/l) in a semi-static regime (1-day dosing intervals) for up to 7 days in an attempt to see how mussels dealt with exogenous estrogenic compounds. Sex hormone levels were determined in whole tissue. Free-estradiol was only significantly elevated at the highest exposure dose (up to 10-fold). Most of the estradiol was in the tissues as fatty acid esters (>78%), which sharply increased in a dose-dependent manner (from 4 ng/g in controls to 258 ng/g at the high exposure group). In contrast, neither free nor esterified testosterone levels showed significant differences between control and exposure groups. The results suggest the existence of mechanisms that allow mussels to maintain their hormonal status, and the important role that fatty acid esterification may play within those mechanisms. Synthesis and conjugation rates of estradiol were further investigated by measuring the activity of P450 aromatase, and palmitoyl-CoA:estradiol acyltransferase, in digestive gland microsomal fractions. Overall, the study contributes to the better knowledge of molluscan endocrinology, and defines new mechanisms of regulation of free steroid-levels in mussels.Predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Government and partial support from EU Project BEEP (ENVK3-CT-2000-00025).Peer reviewe