Large-scale socioeconomic changes in recent decades have driven shifts in the structure of Spanish rural landscapes, particularly in those located at the forest-agriculture interface (FAI), as well ...as in their wildfire regime. Using data from more than 200 16 km
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landscape plots in Spain surveyed between 1956 and 2008 through the SISPARES monitoring framework, we assessed the FAI vulnerability to wildfires and identified the main landscape structural factors related to an increased number of wildfire events. We found that the most vulnerable landscapes were those with high road density, high diversity of land uses and, most importantly, with fine-grained forest-agriculture mixtures. Ignition frequency was lower in those landscapes where crops and woodlands coexisted but distributed in large and well-separated patches, and much lower where both land uses were combined within an integrated production and management system (“dehesas”). We discuss the geographical distribution patterns and temporal trends of the different FAI types during recent decades. We conclude that such approach is useful to forecast the mutual interactions between land use pattern changes and wildfire regime in the Mediterranean agroforestry mosaics. This would also provide an ecological base for developing a complementary, cost-effective and durable passive strategy of wildfire management targeted to modify the inherent FAI susceptibility to ignition events.
Obesity is considered a global epidemic of the twenty-first century by the World Health Organization (WHO). Specifically, the Canary Islands has the highest level of this disease in Europe and 40% of ...children in Spain are overweight or obese. This increase is a direct result of changes in the lifestyles of the population and its nutrition. Because of this, we have designed an educational program based on motor games, active videogames and virtual learning environments to improve the long-term health of children. This article presents and analyzes the results of a study on the nutritional knowledge and adherence to the Mediterranean diet of 46 obese children aged 6 to 12 years in the Canary Islands who participated in an educational program. The study design was quasi-experimental, with two groups (experimental and control). A long-term longitudinal study (3 years) was carried out. A set of evaluation instruments was used for the different phases. The results show significant improvements between the experimental and control groups in terms of their knowledge of healthy nutrition and their adherence to the Mediterranean diet. As a main conclusion, we emphasize that a gamified educational intervention program supported by ICT helps to motivate and promote improvements in the nutrition of children.
The aim of the present study was to develop novel antibacterial touch surfaces through the laser texturing optimization of stainless steel. A wide range of laser fluence (2.11 J/cm2–5.64 J/cm2) and ...scanning interval (10 µm–30 μm) parameters were explored. The impact of surfaces with different patterns, wettability, and oxidation states on the antimicrobial behavior of Escherichia coli K-12 and biofilm hyper-producing Acinetobacter baumannii MAR002 was assessed. Modification of laser input enacted topographical changes with high scanning intervals leading to ordered surface patterns, while increasing the laser fluence to 5.64 J/cm2 created larger and less ordered plateaus and valleys. Texturing also drove a transition from a hydrophilic starting surface with a contact angle of 80.67° ± 3.35° to hydrophobic (138°–148°). Antimicrobial analysis and bioluminescence assays of E. coli, alongside biofilm forming test through A. baumannii MAR002 indicated the ability of laser texturing to produce effective bactericidal touch surfaces. No simple correlation was found between wettability and bacterial behavior, revealing that proliferation is dependent on roughness, oxidation, and wettability. For the conditions selected in this study, a laser fluence of 5.64 J/cm2 and a scanning interval of 10 µm showcased the lowest amount of recovered bacteria after 30 min.
The study aim was to explore the experience of doctors and nursing assistants in the management of physical restraint (PR) in critical care units.
A multicentre phenomenological study that included ...14 critical care units (CCU) in Madrid (Spain). The CCU were stratified according to their use of physical restraint: "frequently used" versus "seldom used". Three focus groups were formed: the first comprised nursing assistants from CCUs that frequently used physical restraint, the second comprised nursing assistants from CCUs that seldom used physical constraint, and the final group comprised doctors from both CCU subtypes. Sampling method: purposive.
thematic content analysis. Data saturation was achieved.
Four principle themes emerged: 1) concept of safety and risk (patient safety versus the safety of the professional), 2) types of restraint, 3) professional responsibilities (prescription, recording, and professional roles) and 4) "zero restraint" paradigm. The conceptualisation regarding the use of physical contentions shows differences in some of the principal themes, depending on the type of CCU, in terms of policies, use and management of physical constraint (frequently used versus seldom used).
The real reduction in the use of physical restraint in CCU must be based on one crucial point: acceptance of the complexity of the phenomenon. The use of physical restraint observed in the different CCU is influenced by individual, group and organisational factors. These factors will determine how doctors and nursing assistants interpret safety and risk, the centre of care (patient or professional-centred care), the concept of restraint, professional responsibilities and interventions, interactions of the team and the leadership.
Narrow-diameter implants (NDIs) traditionally have been associated to higher rates of failure in comparison with regular-diameter implants (RDIs) and wide-diameter implants (WDIs), since they ...generate a more unfavorable stress distribution in peri-implant bone. However, it is well known that the load sharing effect associated with prostheses supported by multiple implants (also called splinted prostheses) affords mechanical benefits. The present study involves finite element analysis (FEA) to determine whether the risks linked to NDIs could be mitigated by the mechanical advantages afforded by the splinting concept. For this purpose, a three-dimensional (3D) model of a real maxilla was reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) images, and different implants (NDIs, RDIs and WDIs) and prostheses were created using computer-aided design (CAD) tools. Biting forces were simulated on the prostheses corresponding to three different rehabilitation solutions: single-implant restoration, three-unit bridge and all-on-four treatment. Stress distribution around the implants was calculated, and overloading in bone was quantified within peri-implant volumes enclosed by cylinders with a diameter 0.1mm greater than that of each implant. The mechanical benefits of the splinting concept were confirmed: the peri-implant overloaded volume around NDIs splinted by means of the three-unit bridge was significantly reduced in comparison with the nonsplinted condition and, most importantly, proved even smaller than that around nonsplinted implants with a larger diameter (RDIs). However, splinted NDIs supporting the all-on-four prosthesis led to the highest risk of overloading found in the study, due to the increase in compressive stress generated around the tilted implant when loading the cantilevered molar.
Microbial biofilms frequently cause the esthetic and biological deterioration of stone monuments. Chichén Itzá, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as one of the seven new wonders of the ...world, is one Maya archeological site affected by biofilms. In the present study, we analyzed the biofilms at three different building complexes of Chichén Itzá: the Lower Temple of the Jaguars, the Temple of the Warriors, and Tzompantli. Samples of biofilms and detached rocks were taken from walls with abundant white-, green-, black-, and orange-colored biofilms. The morphology of rock fragments and dust was analyzed by electron and optical microscopy and was structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. An HCl treatment (5% v/v) was subsequently applied to eliminate carbonates. The morphological analysis evidenced the presence of cyanobacteria, algae, and lichens. Some algae formed small nodules on orange- or black-colored rocks. Lichens were associated with a distinct mineral content on the inner surface of rocks versus on the outer surface. The presence of calcium oxalates such as weddellite (C
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CaO
4
·2H
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O) and whewellite (C
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CaO
4
·H
2
O) and other minerals, including quartz and feldspars, was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The lichens collected from the Lower Temple of the Jaguars and Tzompantli were therefore confirmed to disintegrate rock surfaces through biomineralization and the formation of oxalate crystals. At sites with greater solar radiation, a higher quantity of weddellite and a lower quantity of whewellite were observed. In conclusion, the establishment of microorganisms on the stone surfaces of Chichén Itzá causes esthetic damage and also leads to the biomineralization of these rock surfaces.
Abstract
Context
Rare partial/complete loss-of-function mutations in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene are the most common cause of Mendelian obesity in European populations, but their ...contribution to obesity in the Mexican population is unclear.
Objective and Design
We investigated whether deleterious mutations in MC4R contribute to obesity in Mexican children and adults.
Results
We provide evidence that the MC4R p.Ile269Asn (rs79783591) mutation may have arisen in modern human populations from a founder event in native Mexicans. The MC4R Isoleucine 269 is perfectly conserved across 184 species, which suggests a critical role for the amino acid in MC4R activity. Four in silico tools (SIFT, PolyPhen-2, CADD, MutPred2) predicted a deleterious impact of the p.Ile269Asn substitution on MC4R function. The MC4R p.Ile269Asn mutation was associated with childhood (Ncontrols = 952, Ncases = 661, odds ratio (OR) = 3.06, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.94–4.85) and adult obesity (Ncontrols = 1445, Ncases = 2,487, OR = 2.58, 95%CI 1.52–4.39). The frequency of the MC4R p.Ile269Asn mutation ranged from 0.52 to 0.59% and 1.53 to 1.59% in children and adults with normal weight and obesity, respectively. The MC4R p.Ile269Asn mutation co-segregated perfectly with obesity in 5 multigenerational Mexican pedigrees. While adults with obesity carrying the p.Ile269Asn mutation had higher BMI values than noncarriers, this trend was not observed in children. The MC4R p.Ile269Asn mutation accounted for a population attributable risk of 1.28% and 0.68% for childhood and adult obesity, respectively, in the Mexican population.
Conclusion
The MC4R p.Ile269Asn mutation may have emerged as a founder mutation in native Mexicans and is associated with childhood and adult obesity in the modern Mexican population.
ABSTRACT
We present Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT)/AzTEC 1.1 mm observations of ∼100 luminous high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxy candidates from the $\sim 600\,$ sq.deg Herschel-ATLAS survey, ...selected on the basis of their SPIRE red far-infrared colours and with $S_{500\, \mu \rm m}=35-80$ mJy. With an effective $\theta _{\rm FWHM}\approx 9.5\,$arcsec angular resolution, our observations reveal that at least 9 per cent of the targets break into multiple systems with signal-to-noise ratio ≥4 members. The fraction of multiple systems increases to ∼23 per cent (or more) if some non-detected targets are considered multiples, as suggested by the data. Combining the new AzTEC and deblended Herschel photometry, we derive photometric redshifts, infrared luminosities, and star formation rates. While the median redshifts of the multiple and single systems are similar (zmed ≈ 3.6), the redshift distribution of the latter is skewed towards higher redshifts. Of the AzTEC sources, ∼85 per cent lie at zphot > 3 while ∼33 per cent are at zphot > 4. This corresponds to a lower limit on the space density of ultrared sources at 4 < z < 6 of $\sim 3\times 10^{-7}\, \textrm {Mpc}^{-3}$ with a contribution to the obscured star formation of $\gtrsim 8\times 10^{-4}\, \textrm {M}_\odot \, \textrm {yr}^{-1} \, \textrm {Mpc}^{-3}$. Some of the multiple systems have members with photometric redshifts consistent among them suggesting possible physical associations. Given their angular separations, these systems are most likely galaxy over-densities and/or early-stage pre-coalescence mergers. Finally, we present 3 mm LMT/RSR spectroscopic redshifts of six red-Herschel galaxies at zspec = 3.85−6.03, two of them (at z ∼ 4.7) representing new redshift confirmations. Here, we release the AzTEC and deblended Herschel photometry as well as catalogues of the most promising interacting systems and z > 4 galaxies.
Agro-industrial residues such as bagasse, pomace, municipal residues, vinasse and cheese whey are an environmental problem around the world, mainly due to the huge volumes that are generated because ...of the food production to satisfy the nutritional needs of the growing world population. Among the above residues, cheese whey has gained special attention because of its high production with a worldwide production of 160 million tons per year. Most of it is discarded in water bodies and land causing damage to the environment due to the high biological oxygen demand caused by its organic matter load. The environmental regulations in developing countries have motivated the development of new processes to treat transform cheese whey into added-value products such as food supplements, cattle feed and food additives. In addition, during the last decade, several processes and technologies have been developed to produce bioenergy through the biotechnological process using cheese whey as a potential feedstock. This review discusses the production of bioethanol, biohydrogen, biomethane and microbial lipid-biodiesel production using cheese whey as a potential substrate.
•Nutritional composition of commercial formula, cereal and complementary foods, for infants.•Illustration of the nutritional differences between infant formula and breast milk.•A new tool to assist ...in nutritional studies in infants from 0 to 12 months.
In the last decade, there has been an increasing demand for ready-to-eat infant meals in Spain. However, the used food composition databases do not include processed products intended for infants under 12 months of age. Thus, we aimed at the creation of a food composition table including these products. Nutritional composition data were collected from the label of 568 products including infant formula, cereal products and complementary foods (mixed puree or snacks and desserts); additionally, breast-milk (11 preterm and term samples) nutritional composition were estimated from scientific publications available to date. Information was compiled into a table available in “open access” at the website http://ucc.uniovi.es/formacioncientifica/recursosinv including information about 53 dietary components of infant formula, 28 for breast milk, 30 for cereal products and 14 for complementary foods. The infant formula´s composition from 0 to 6 months were found similar to the values reported for mature breast milk (10–12 weeks) but different from breast milk from 1 to 4 weeks. One serving of cereals has been found to satisfy more than the 50% of the DRI for protein and carbohydrates. This information constitutes an essential step in order to understand the diet-health relationships in the early stages of life in the Spanish population.
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