543 research outputs found

    Post-synthetic modifcations of covalent-and metal-organic frameworks. Structural challenges in defective materials

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    Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Química Inorgánica. Fecha de Lectura: 31-03-202

    A Mobile App to Manage Children Dental Anxiety: Context and Approach

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    Anxiety and fear related to dentistry interventions have been identified as problems affecting children. This reduces their quality of life and may have a negative impact on aspects such as sleep, self –esteem, mood, social relationships, and other psychological issues.The ARCADE project aims to design and develop a technological solution to manage children dental anxiety. This solution consists on a mobile system co-designed with children. An ecological momentary intervention is proposed using this solution before, during and after dentistry treatments. This paper presents a methodological approach to develop the project

    PBL from Real Projects and Students Initiative: a case study

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    The benefits of Project Based Learning (PBL) to acquire technological knowledge as well as transversal skills by students are well known. However, the implementation of PBL requires additional efforts from teachers and students, as well as additional teaching resources when compared to traditional teaching. This paper presents a case study of a singular PBL experience developed within a subject entitled Experimental Structural Analysis. This subject had PBL already implemented. However, the paper describes a new PBL experience that was suggested by some students that were part of the Formula Student (FS) team from the University of Seville. 24 students and 2 teachers took part in this new experience. The proposed PBL introduced some new challenges in the subject. The paper describes how the subject was organized in terms of theoretical and practical lessons, tutorials and assessment (including the introduction of a novel Self Assessment Factor). The paper analyzes the results from an academic point of view and describes the benefits, difficulties, advantages and opportunities arising from a PBL approach in which students play a new role as real promoters of a real project. Results from academic scores, surveys from students and teachers' perceptions are analyzed. The percentage of students who ask the teachers of the subject to supervise their final degree project is used as a new satisfaction indicator from students. The paper shows that this PBLmethodolodogy is enriching and suitable for the learning process of most the students. However, new challenges arise such as encouraging all the students to be actually involved in the cooperative work and ensuring that the main theoretical concepts are learned. The FS competition is proven to be a good opportunity for implementing PBL based on a real project. © 2017 TEMPUS Publications.Junta de Andalucía P12-TEP-254

    A Role for Lipids in Protein Sorting?

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    Lipid and protein diversity provides structural and functional identity to the membrane compartments that define the eukaryotic cell. This compositional heterogeneity is maintained by the secretory pathway, which feeds newly synthesized proteins and lipids to the endomembrane systems. The precise sorting of lipids and proteins through the pathway guarantees the achievement of their correct delivery. Although proteins have been shown to be key for sorting mechanisms, whether and how lipids contribute to this process is still an open discussion. Our laboratory, in collaboration with other groups, has recently addressed the long-postulated role of membrane lipids in protein sorting in the secretory pathway, by investigating in yeast how a special class of lipid-linked cell surface proteins are differentially exported from the endoplasmic reticulum. Here we comment on this interdisciplinary study that highlights the role of lipid diversity and the importance of protein-lipid interactions in sorting processes at the cell membrane.FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades PID2020-119505GB-I00 and BFU2017-89700-

    A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Nitrogen Pollution in a Coastal Region with Mangroves of the Southern Gulf of Mexico

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    [EN] Nitrogen pollution is a growing problem in many rivers and estuaries of the Southern Gulf of Mexico. In Costa Esmeralda, a tourist destination in Veracruz, the increasing nitrogen pollution is causing severe environmental damage. However, very few studies addressed nitrogen pollution and its consequences for beaches and mangroves. In this study, a spatiotemporal evaluation of nitrogen concentrations was performed along two rivers discharging into Costa Esmeralda and the associated mangrove and coastal areas. The data used was obtained from the local government, which measured ammonium, nitrate and organic nitrogen concentrations between 2013 and 2016 with four annual measurements. Clustering analysis was used to detect the nitrogen concentration di erences between riverine and coastal sites. Additionally, Mann-Kendall test was used to detect the trends throughout the study period. The Mann-Whitney W-test determined the di erence in the median concentrations between the dry and the wet season. The results indicate that organic nitrogen concentrations are increasing in river mouths and coastal waters. Nitrogen pollution caused an intrusion of water hyacinths in touristic beaches and completely covered mangroves. The decomposition of these plants in saline waters was identified as the main potential source of increasing organic concentrations, driven by nitrogen pollution from wastewater, deforestation and fertilizers, and causing many environmental and socio-economic damage to the area. The results shed light on the prevailing water pollution problems in the Southern Gulf of Mexico.This research was funded by an Excellence Scholarship awarded by the Mexican Government through the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID)Temiño-Boes, R.; Romero-Lopez, R.; Romero Gil, I. (2019). 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Ocean & Coastal Management, 87, 30-39. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.10.007Anguiano-Cuevas, J. R., Olivos-Ortiz, A., Cervantes, O., Azuz-Adeath, I., Ramírez-Álvarez, N., & Rivera-Rodríguez, M. C. (2015). Evaluation of trophic state in the Palo Verde estuary (Colima, México), action to regulating agricultural activities. Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada, 15(4), 507-522. doi:10.5894/rgci582Okolodkov, Y. B., Campos-Bautista, G., & Gárate-Lizárraga, I. (2016). Circadian rhythm of a red-tide dinoflagellate Peridinium quadridentatum in the port of Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico, its thecal morphology, nomenclature and geographical distribution. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 108(1-2), 289-296. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.047Ulloa, M. J., Álvarez-Torres, P., Horak-Romo, K. P., & Ortega-Izaguirre, R. (2017). Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication along the mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem. Environmental Development, 22, 120-128. doi:10.1016/j.envdev.2016.10.007Mokondoko, P., Manson, R. H., & Pérez-Maqueo, O. (2016). Assessing the service of water quality regulation by quantifying the effects of land use on water quality and public health in central Veracruz, Mexico. Ecosystem Services, 22, 161-173. doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2016.09.001Giri, C., Ochieng, E., Tieszen, L. L., Zhu, Z., Singh, A., Loveland, T., … Duke, N. (2010). Status and distribution of mangrove forests of the world using earth observation satellite data. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 20(1), 154-159. doi:10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00584.xHolguin, G., Gonzalez-Zamorano, P., de-Bashan, L. E., Mendoza, R., Amador, E., & Bashan, Y. (2006). Mangrove health in an arid environment encroached by urban development—a case study. Science of The Total Environment, 363(1-3), 260-274. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.05.026Thorhaug, A. L., Poulos, H. M., López-Portillo, J., Barr, J., Lara-Domínguez, A. L., Ku, T. C., & Berlyn, G. P. (2019). Gulf of Mexico estuarine blue carbon stock, extent and flux: Mangroves, marshes, and seagrasses: A North American hotspot. Science of The Total Environment, 653, 1253-1261. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.011Kauffman, J. B., Hernandez Trejo, H., del Carmen Jesus Garcia, M., Heider, C., & Contreras, W. M. (2015). Carbon stocks of mangroves and losses arising from their conversion to cattle pastures in the Pantanos de Centla, Mexico. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 24(2), 203-216. doi:10.1007/s11273-015-9453-zFeller, I. C., Friess, D. A., Krauss, K. W., & Lewis, R. R. (2017). The state of the world’s mangroves in the 21st century under climate change. Hydrobiologia, 803(1), 1-12. doi:10.1007/s10750-017-3331-zDuke, N. C., Meynecke, J.-O., Dittmann, S., Ellison, A. M., Anger, K., Berger, U., … Dahdouh-Guebas, F. (2007). A World Without Mangroves? Science, 317(5834), 41b-42b. doi:10.1126/science.317.5834.41bTorres V., J. R., Infante-Mata, D., Sánchez, A. J., Espinoza-Tenorio, A., & Barba, E. (2018). Degradación de hojarasca y aporte de nutrientes del manglar en la Laguna Mecoacán, Golfo de México. Revista de Biología Tropical, 66(2), 892. doi:10.15517/rbt.v66i2.33421Holguin, G., Vazquez, P., & Bashan, Y. (2001). The role of sediment microorganisms in the productivity, conservation, and rehabilitation of mangrove ecosystems: an overview. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 33(4), 265-278. doi:10.1007/s003740000319Reis, C. R. G., Nardoto, G. B., & Oliveira, R. S. (2016). Global overview on nitrogen dynamics in mangroves and consequences of increasing nitrogen availability for these systems. Plant and Soil, 410(1-2), 1-19. doi:10.1007/s11104-016-3123-7Geedicke, I., Oldeland, J., & Leishman, M. R. (2018). Urban stormwater run-off promotes compression of saltmarshes by freshwater plants and mangrove forests. Science of The Total Environment, 637-638, 137-144. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.357Adame, M. F., Najera, E., Lovelock, C. E., & Brown, C. J. (2018). Avoided emissions and conservation of scrub mangroves: potential for a Blue Carbon project in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Biology Letters, 14(12), 20180400. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0400López-Portillo, J., Lara-Domínguez, A. L., Vázquez, G., & Aké-Castillo, J. A. (2017). Water Quality and Mangrove-Derived Tannins in Four Coastal Lagoons from the Gulf of Mexico with Variable Hydrologic Dynamics. Journal of Coastal Research, 77, 28-38. doi:10.2112/si77-004.1VILLAMAGNA, A. M., & MURPHY, B. R. (2010). Ecological and socio-economic impacts of invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes): a review. Freshwater Biology, 55(2), 282-298. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02294.xOliveira-Junior, E. S., Tang, Y., van den Berg, S. J. P., Cardoso, S. J., Lamers, L. P. M., & Kosten, S. (2018). The impact of water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ) on greenhouse gas emission and nutrient mobilization depends on rooting and plant coverage. Aquatic Botany, 145, 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2017.11.005Téllez, T. R., López, E., Granado, G., Pérez, E., López, R., & Guzmán, J. (2008). The Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes: an invasive plant in the Guadiana River Basin (Spain). Aquatic Invasions, 3(1), 42-53. doi:10.3391/ai.2008.3.1.8Tabla-Hernandez, J., Rodriguez-Espinosa, P. F., Mendoza-Pérez, J. A., Sánchez-Ortíz, E., Martinez-Tavera, E., & Hernandez-Ramirez, A. G. (2019). Assessment of Potential Toxic Metals in a Ramsar Wetland, Central Mexico and its Self-Depuration through Eichhornia crassipes. Water, 11(6), 1248. doi:10.3390/w11061248Fox, L. J., Struik, P. C., Appleton, B. L., & Rule, J. H. (2008). Nitrogen Phytoremediation by Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms). Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 194(1-4), 199-207. doi:10.1007/s11270-008-9708-xLuisa Martínez, M., Mendoza-González, G., Silva-Casarín, R., & Mendoza-Baldwin, E. (2014). Land use changes and sea level rise may induce a «coastal squeeze» on the coasts of Veracruz, Mexico. Global Environmental Change, 29, 180-188. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.09.009Pérez-Maqueo, O., Martínez, M. L., & Cóscatl Nahuacatl, R. (2017). Is the protection of beach and dune vegetation compatible with tourism? Tourism Management, 58, 175-183. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.019González-Marín, R. M., Moreno-Casasola, P., Castro-Luna, A. A., & Castillo, A. (2016). Regaining the traditional use of wildlife in wetlands on the coastal plain of Veracruz, Mexico: ensuring food security in the face of global climate change. Regional Environmental Change, 17(5), 1343-1354. doi:10.1007/s10113-016-0955-xAli, T. A., Mortula, M., Atabay, S., & Navadeh, E. (2015). A GIS-based spatiotemporal study of the variability of water quality in the Dubai Creek, UAE. Water Quality Research Journal, 51(3), 219-232. doi:10.2166/wqrjc.2015.020Kitsiou, D., & Karydis, M. (2011). 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    Enseñanza de Teoría de Estructuras mediante el diseño, cálculo, construcción y ensayo de modelos

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    CNIM 2010 : Ciudad Real, 3-5 noviembre 2010. Anales de ingeniería mecánica, 2010, 18: 1-7Este trabajo presenta los resultados de una experiencia de innovación docente dentro de la docencia en el ámbito de las estructuras en la titulación de Ingeniería Industrial en la Universidad de Sevilla. La metodología docente aplicada pretende motivar al alumno al aprendizaje promoviendo el diseño, cálculo, construcción y ensayo de estructuras. De esta forma, el alumnado se forma no sólo como calculista, sino también desarrolla habilidades que le permiten comprender el funcionamiento de las estructuras. El proyecto abarca asignaturas impartidas en tercer y quinto curso de la titulación. En tercer curso, los estudiantes inician su formación estructural con la asignatura Teoría de Estructuras en la cual se les transmiten los fundamentos básicos mediante el diseño, fabricación y ensayo de estructuras de madera de balsa. Los alumnos disponen de programas informáticos para optimizar el diseño de sus modelos previamente a su construcción y posterior ensayo en el laboratorio. Tras esta primera aproximación a la Teoría de Estructuras, el alumno se forma en conceptos mas avanzados, como el comportamiento dinámico de las estructuras y las inestabilidades, en tipos estructurales particulares como son los casos de las placas y las estructuras laminares, y en materiales estructurales como el acero y el hormigón. Antes de finalizar sus estudios, el alumno se vuelve a encontrar con una metodología docente basada en el aprendizaje a través de proyectos en la asignatura Análisis Experimental de Estructuras. En este caso los proyectos que resuelve el alumno recorren parte de la casuística que se encontrará profesionalmente una vez egresado. Este trabajo presenta las ventajas de esta metodología desde el punto de vista de la enseñanza en ingeniería

    Monitoring the mechanical behaviour of the weather vanesculpture mounted atop Seville Cathedral’s Giralda Tower

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    This article presents the application of monitoring and detection of structural damage techniques to a historic monument. Seville cathedral’s famous bell tower ‘La Giralda’ is 96 m tall and is crowned with a large 16th century sculpture known as ‘Giraldillo’. The sculpture is supported with an internal bar structure, which is fitted over the axis about which it rotates according to the wind direction, allowing it to function as a weathervane. Between 1999 and 2005 the Giraldillo was demounted and underwent an intensive restoration process, which included mechanical and structural repair work. As the sculpture is only accessible by means of complex and costly scaffolding systems, an instrumentation system consisting of different types of sensors was installed to study the assembly’s mechanical response, its functioning as a weathervane and its state of conservation while it was being remounted atop the Giralda Tower. Different damage detection techniques aimed at detecting possible deterioration in the Giraldillo’s support structure were employed as well. This article presents results obtained in 2 years of system operation, showing how structural heath monitoring techniques can be applied to historical monuments

    Influence of magnetic interactions between phases on the magnetocaloric effect of composites

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    Magnetocaloric materials with coexisting magnetic phases appear either due to the phase coexistence in first order phase transitions, or due to the development of composites, which are known to enhance the refrigerant capacity and produce table-like magnetocaloric effect. However, interactions between phases are rarely considered. We have modeled the influence of interactions on the magnetocaloric effect of a biphasic composite by implementing a mean field model. Interactions shift the peak magnetic entropy change to higher temperatures than those of the pure phases and enhance the table-like character of the curves. Although there is no qualitative change of the magnetocaloric response of the composites due to interactions, the optimal fraction of phases which produces the largest enhancement of the refrigerant capacity is shifted to compositions richer in the low Curie temperature phase. This shift can be used to estimate the magnitude of the interactions in composites measured experimentally

    A Deep Learning Approach for Molecular Classification Based on AFM Images

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    In spite of the unprecedented resolution provided by non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) with CO-functionalized and advances in the interpretation of the observed contrast, the unambiguous identification of molecular systems solely based on AFM images, without any prior information, remains an open problem. This work presents a first step towards the automatic classification of AFM experimental images by a deep learning model trained essentially with a theoretically generated dataset. We analyze the limitations of two standard models for pattern recognition when applied to AFM image classification and develop a model with the optimal depth to provide accurate results and to retain the ability to generalize. We show that a variational autoencoder (VAE) provides a very efficient way to incorporate, from very few experimental images, characteristic features into the training set that assure a high accuracy in the classification of both theoretical and experimental images
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