La musicoterapia: una nueva ayuda al autismo

Treball final de Grau en Periodisme. Codi: PE0932. Curs acadèmic 2015-201

Housing First: la clau no està en el pis

Estem immersos en un canvi de paradigma en el model d’intervenció amb les persones sense llar. Les administracions i entitats que hi treballen necessiten fer una profunda reflexió sobre el model que han seguit fins ara en les seves intervencions per tal de poder encarar amb fortalesa aquesta revoluci

Alimentos irradiados

La industria alimentaria y las administraciones públicas realizan grandes esfuerzos para mejorar el mantenimiento de las condiciones higiénicas y evitar la contaminación de alimentos. Pese a estos esfuerzos siguen produciéndose un gran numero de procesos patológicos relacionados con los alimentos. Las buenas prácticas higiénicas pueden reducir el nivel de contaminación, pero algunos microorganismos patógenos resulta imposible eliminarlos, especialmente de aquellos alimentos que se comercializan crudos y con procesado mínimo. La irradiación se presenta como un método de descontaminación posible para este grupo de alimentos, especialmente válido como método de descontaminación final. Dosis de irradiación inferiores a 10 kGy (dependiendo del alimento y condiciones) son efectivas para eliminar posibles patógenos no esporulados, inactivar parásitos, tratar especias, condimentos y otros ingredientes secos, fruta fresca y productos de cuarta gama (vegetales frescos, limpios y envasados, listos para consumo). Respecto a la seguridad de los alimentos irradiados, está plenamente demostrado que no provoca la aparición de compuestos especiales y provoca una ligera reducción en el contenido de algunas vitaminas, que es equiparable a la producida por otros tratamientos tecnológicos. Se ha visto también que microorganismos que han sido sometidos a radiaciones y han sobrevivido a ellas se muestran más sensibles a las condiciones ambientales de estrés que aquellos que nunca han sido irradiados. Pese a que los organismos internacionales FAO y OMS presentan la irradiación como un método seguro, eficaz, limpio con el medio ambiente y energéticamente eficiente, los consumidores siguen estando desinformados y mostrándose reticentes a su utilización. En la actualidad se están llevando a cabo muchos sondeos, de los que se deriva que una correcta in formación al consumidor es el único método válido para conseguir la aceptación de esta tecnología. Las investigaciones actuales en este sector se centran en la optimización de su aplicación a alimentos concretos y en los posibles efectos sobre los materiales de envasado. Por lo que respecta a la aplicación industrial, se tiende a crear centros de tratamiento donde diferentes productores llevan sus materias a tratar. Se espera que esta tecnología presente una fuerte tendencia creciente en los próximos año

Near-Ground Wireless Coverage Design in Rural Environments

[EN] Due to the broad range of options that wireless systems offer, Wi-Fi products are increasingly being used in agriculture environments to improve farming practices and better control the output of the production. However, the foliage has proven to harm radio-frequency propagation as well as decreasing the coverage area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Therefore, near-ground channel characterization can help in avoiding high antennas and vegetation. Nevertheless, theoretical models tend to fail when forecasting near-ground path losses. This paper aims at determining how the field components such as soil, grass and, trunks affect radio-links in near-ground scenarios. To do this, we measure the Received Signal Strength (RSSI), the Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR) and the Round-Trip Time (RTT) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), at different distances, and the results are compared with 3 prediction models: the Free-Space Propagation Model, Two-Ray Ground Reflection Model and, One-Slope Log-Normal Model. The experiment was carried out by collecting experimental data at two different locations, i.e., an orange tree plantation and a field without vegetation, taking measurements every meter. A comprehensive analysis of the influence of rural environments can help to obtain better near-ground WSN performance and coverage in precision agriculture.This work has been partially supported by European Union through the ERANETMED project ERANETMED3- 227 SMARTWATIR, by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades through the Ayudas para la adquisición de equipamiento científico-técnico, Subprograma estatal de infraestructuras de investigación y equipamiento científico-técnico (plan Estatal I+D+i 2017- 2020) (project EQC2018-004988-P), by the Universidad de Granada through the "Programa de Proyectos de Investigación Precompetitivos para Jóvenes Investigadores. Modalidad A jóvenes Doctores of "Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia 2019" (PPJIA2019.10) and by the Campus de Excelencia Internacional Global del Mar (CEI·Mar) through the "Ayudas Proyectos Jóvenes Investigadores CEI·Mar 2019" (Project CEIJ-020).Botella-Campos, M.; Jimenez, JM.; Sendra, S.; Lloret, J. (2020). Near-Ground Wireless Coverage Design in Rural Environments. IARIA XPS Press. 14-19. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/178039S141

A new system to detect coronavirus social distance violation

In this paper, a novel solution to avoid new infections is presented. Instead of tracing users’ locations, the presence of individuals is detected by analysing the voices, and people’s faces are detected by the camera. To do this, two different Android applications were implemented. The first one uses the camera to detect people’s faces whenever the user answers or performs a phone call. Firebase Platform will be used to detect faces captured by the camera and determine its size and estimate their distance to the phone terminal. The second application uses voice biometrics to differentiate the users’ voice from unknown speakers and creates a neural network model based on 5 samples of the user’s voice. This feature will only be activated whenever the user is surfing the Internet or using other applications to prevent undesired contacts. Currently, the patient’s tracking is performed by geolocation or by using Bluetooth connection. Although face detection and voice recognition are existing methods, this paper aims to use them and integrate both in a single device. Our application cannot violate privacy since it does not save the data used to carry out the detection and does not associate this data to people

Ocean-Atmosphere CO2 Fluxes in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre: Association with Biochemical and Physical Factors during Spring

We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Sea surface partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) was measured continuously in a transect of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre between Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (18.1° N, 68.5° W) and Vigo, Spain (41.9° N, 11.8° W) during spring 2011. Additional biogeochemical and physical variables measured to identify factors controlling the surface pCO2 were analyzed in discrete samples collected at 16 sites along the transect at the surface and to a depth of 200 m. Sea surface pCO2 varied between 309 and 662 μatm, and showed differences between the western and eastern subtropical gyre. The subtropical gyre acted as a net CO2 sink, with a mean flux of −5.5 ± 2.2 mmol m−2 day−1. The eastern part of the transect, close to the North Atlantic Iberian upwelling off the Galician coast, was a CO2 source with an average flux of 33.5 ± 9.0 mmol m−2 day−1. Our results highlight the importance of making more surface pCO2 observations in the area located east of the Azores Islands since air-sea CO2 fluxes there are poorly studied.The authors would like to thank those responsible for the two projects Proyecto Buque Escuela de Oceanografía 2011 (Research Project CTM 2009-08399-E/MAR) and the Malaspina Circumnavigation Expedition 2010 (Research Project Consolider-Ingenio, CSD 2008-00077), both funded by the Spanish Government. Their collaboration made this study possible. The authors would also like to thank J. Gómez-Enri and G. Navarro for their help with the satellite images.Peer reviewe

Products released from surgical face masks can provoke cytotoxicity in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Surgical face masks are more present than ever as personal protective equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this work, we show that the contents of regular surgical masks: i) polypropylene microfibres and ii) some added metals such as: Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and Ba, may be toxic to some marine life. This work has got two objectives: i) to study the release rate of the products from face masks in marine water and ii) to assess the toxicity in Phaeodactylum tricornutum of these by-products. To achieve these two objectives, we performed release kinetic experiments by adding masks in different stages of fragmentation to marine water (i.e. whole face masks and fragments of them 1.52 ± 0.86 mm). Released microfibres were found after one month in shaking marine water; 0.33 ± 0.24 and 21.13 ± 13.19 fibres·mL−1 were collected from the whole and fragmented face masks, respectively. Significant amounts of dissolved metals such as Mn, Zn and Ni, as well as functional groups only in the water containing the face mask fragments were detected. Water from both treatments was employed to study its toxicity on the marine diatom. Only the water from the face mask fragments showed a significant, dose-dependent, decrease in cell density in P. tricornutum; 53.09 % lower than in the controls. Although the water from the face mask fragments showed greater effects on the microalgae population than the water from the whole face mask, the latter treatment did show significant changes in the photosynthetic apparatus and intrinsic properties of the cells. These results indicate that during fragmentation and degradation face masks a significant chemical print can be observed in the marine environment.Marta Sendra wishes to acknowledge her contract Juan de la Cierva Incorporación (IJC2020-043162-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033 and European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. Dr. Araceli Rodríguez-Romero is supported by the Spanish grant Juan de la Cierva Incorporación referenced as IJC2018–037545-I

In vivo immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties of nanoceria (nCeO2) in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Cerium nanoparticles (nCeO2) are increasingly utilized in a wide variety of industrial, environmental and biomedical applications, and are therefore expected to be released in the aquatic environment. Due to its peculiar redox properties, nCeO2 may present unique hazards to environmental and human health. Previous data showed that in the hemocytes of the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis, in vitro exposure to a particular type of nCeO2 (9 nm, characterized by negative ζ-potential, high H2O2 scavenging capacity and Ce3+/Ce4+ surface ratio) reduced basal ROS production, lysosomal membrane stability and phagocytic activity in the presence of hemolymph serum; the effects observed were partly ascribed to the formation of a SOD-protein corona in the hemolymph. In this work, the in vivo effects of this type of nCeO2 were investigated in mussels exposed to 100 μg/L nCeO2 for 96 h; several lysosomal, immune, inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers were measured at cellular (hemocytes) and tissue (gills, digestive gland) level. Molecular responses were evaluated in hemocytes and digestive gland by determining expression of 11 selected genes related to known biological functions. The results show specific immunomodulatory and antioxidant effects of nCeO2 at different levels of biological organization in the absence of Cerium tissue accumulation. These data further support the redox mechanisms at the basis of the physiological effects of nCeO2. Finally, in order to evaluate the possible impact at the whole organism level, the effects of nCeO2 were evaluated in the 48 h embryotoxicity assay in a wide concentration range. However, nCeO2 exposure resulted in a small reduction in normal embryo development. Overall, the results demonstrate that in mussels nCeO2 can selectively modulate different physiological processes at different levels of biological organization

Alfabetización en salud a través de las competencias

En este trabajo se presenta una propuesta para la alfabetización en salud a través de la concreción y definición de las competencias que debe adquirir el alumnado durante la Educación Obligatoria. Mediante un estudio Delphi, se han determinado ocho ámbitos de salud, identificando los problemas o situaciones de salud que debe saber resolver el alumnado, así como las competencias que desarrollar y los contenidos de aprendizaje necesarios para afrontar cada uno de estos problemas. Estos contenidos de aprendizaje constituyen el instrumento de análisis con el que se ha revisado el currículo para comprobar en qué medida están presentes en las propuestas oficiales. Los estudios realizados referentes a la salud mental y emocional nos muestran que este currículo presenta algunas deficiencias de estos contenidos que dificultan el desarrollo de las competencias, lo que repercute negativamente en la alfabetización en salud

Impact of the pandemic on the teaching and research staff at a technological university in Spain: deepening the gender gap

The alteration of the educational model caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected all university faculty equally. This work explores the academic, digital and gender inequalities caused by the pandemic on the teaching and research staff of a technological university for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines in Spain, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya—BarcelonaTech (UPC). The study considers an anonymous survey with a non-probabilistic voluntary sample (n = 355). The results of the survey reveal that, over these months, the teaching and research staff of the university, regardless of gender, has significantly increased its academic activity due especially to the number of hours devoted to virtual teaching compared to its teaching dedication in a situation of normalcy. This study shows that the lockdown has strongly affected women who are more vulnerable to crisis. In particular, the negative impact on research has been higher in female faculty staff from the UPC, who already face disparities regarding promotion and, during lockdown, stated more difficulties with household work reconciliation. From the results of this study, it is possible to conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the gender gap in the academic field.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de QualitatObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::5 - Igualtat de GènereObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::10 - Reducció de les DesigualtatsObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i BenestarPostprint (published version