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Solar Ultraviolet Irradiance Characterization under All Sky Conditions in Burgos, Spain
Get PDFSolar Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR), which is identified as a major environmental health
hazard, is responsible for a variety of photochemical reactions with direct effects on urban and
aquatic ecosystems, human health, plant growth, and the deterioration of industrial systems. Ground
measurements of total solar UVR are scarce, with low spatial and temporal coverage around the
world, which is mainly due to measurement equipment maintenance costs and the complexities of
equipment calibration routines; however, models designed to estimate ultraviolet rays from global
radiation measurements are frequently used alternatives. In an experimental campaign in Burgos,
Spain, between September 2020 and June 2022, average values of the ratio between horizontal global
ultraviolet irradiance (GHUV) and global horizontal irradiance (GHI) were determined, based on
measurements at ten-minute intervals. Sky cloudiness was the most influential factor in the ratio,
more so than any daily, monthly, or seasonal pattern. Both the CIE standard sky classification and the
clearness index were used to characterize the cloudiness conditions of homogeneous skies. Overcast
sky types presented the highest values of the ratio, whereas the clear sky categories presented
the lowest and most dispersed values, regardless of the criteria used for sky classification. The
main conclusion, for practical purposes, was that the ratio between GHUV and GHI can be used to
model GHUV.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant numbers RTI2018-098900-B-I00 and TED2021-131563B-I00, and Junta de Castilla y León, grant numbers INVESTUN/19/BU/0004 and INVESTUN/22/BU/0001
Estudio sobre hidrólisis proteica con agua subcrítica para la valorización de subproductos marinos
Get PDFLa conversión de los subproductos de la industria pesquera en nuevas aplicaciones sienta las
bases hacia un futuro más sostenible. Las proteínas de pescado presentan una composición
rica en aminoácidos esenciales, de ahí que sea necesario su aprovechamiento. Este trabajo
se basa en la optimización de la extracción de proteína soluble de harina de pescado a
diferentes temperaturas (20, 50 y 80 ºC) y a diferentes concentraciones (4, 8, 16, 24, 50
g/100mL) para su valoración, empleando tecnologías verdes. Con el objetivo de obtener la
fracción proteica hidrolizada del extracto de proteína mediante dos técnicas y así poder
evaluar el perfil de aminoácidos libres y el rendimiento de las mismas mediante el grado de
hidrólisis. Se lleva a cabo la hidrólisis mediante agua subcrítica (sCW) a diferentes
temperaturas (140, 160 y 180 ºC), presurizando con dos gases (N2 y CO2) y la hidrólisis
enzimática bajo la acción de dos enzimas comerciales: Alcalasa y Novozym. Una vez
optimizadas las condiciones de la extracción de proteína soluble y las hidrólisis se realiza una
experiencia con harina de pescado desengrasada para comprobar si existen diferencias
debido a la presencia o ausencia de grasa. También se comprueban la distribución de pesos
moleculares de los hidrolizados y su capacidad antioxidante.The transformation of by-products from the fishing industry into products for new applications
lays the foundation for a more sustainable future. Fish proteins have a high content of essential
amino acids, hence the need to exploit them. This work is based on the optimization of the
extraction of soluble protein from fish flour at different temperatures (20, 50 and 80ºC) and at
different concentrations (4, 8, 16, 24 and 50g/100mL) for its evaluation using green
technologies. With the objective of obtaining the hydrolyzed proteic fraction of the protein
extract trough two different techniques and thus being able to evaluate their yield by comparing
the degree of hydrolysis and the profile of free amino acids obtained. Hydrolysis is carried out
using subcritical water (sCW) at different temperatures (140, 160 and 180ºC), pressurizing
with two gases (N2 and CO2). Enzymatic hydrolysis is implemented under the action of two
commercial enzymes: Alcalase and Novozym. Once the conditions for the extraction of soluble
protein and the hydrolysis have been optimized, an experiment is carried out with defatted fish
flour to check if there are differences due to the presence or absence of fat. The molecular
weight distribution of the hydrolysates and their antioxidant capacity are also checked.El trabajo presentado ha sido desarrollado en el seno del Grupo de Investigación Biotecnología Industrial y Medioambiental, reconocido por la UBU (GIR-UBU BIOIND) y por la Junta de Castilla y León como Unidad de Investigación Consolidada UIC-128, en el marco de los siguientes proyectos de investigación: • VALORIZACIÓN DE LA FRACCIÓN PROTEICA DE SUBPRODUCTOS DE LA INDUSTRIA AGROALIMENTARIA DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN MEDIANTE TECNOLOGÍAS DE FLUIDOS PRESURIZADOS (PROVALOR), financiado por la Junta de Castilla y León y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (BU050P20). • VALORIZACIÓN DE SUBPRODUCTOS MARINOS MEDIANTE TECNOLOGÍAS DE FLUIDOS SUB- Y SUPERCRÍTICOS PARA LA OBTENCIÓN DE BIOCOMPUESTOS VALIOSOS, financiado por la Agencia Estatal de Investigación (10.13039/501100011033)
Limited Phosphorous Supply Improved Lipid Content of Chlorella vulgaris That Increased Phenol and 2-Chlorophenol Adsorption from Contaminated Water with Acid Treatment
Get PDFPhenolic compounds are toxic and ominously present in industrial effluents, which can end
up in water bodies, causing potential damage to living organisms. This study employed the dried
biomass of freshwater green microalgae Chlorella vulgaris to remove phenol and 2-chlorophenol from
an aqueous environment. C. vulgaris was grown under different phosphorus- (P) starved conditions,
and biomass was treated with sulfuric acid. It was observed that reducing the P level enhanced the
lipid content by 7.8 times while decreasing protein by 7.2 times. P-starved C. vulgaris dried biomass
removed phenol and 2-chlorophenol by 69 and 57%, respectively, after 180 min from the contaminated water. Acid-treated P-starved C. vulgaris dried biomass removed phenol and 2-chlorophenol
by 77 and 75%, respectively, after 180 min. Thus, an economical and eco-friendly P-starved and
acid treated C. vulgaris biomass has better potential to remove phenol and 2-chlorophenol from
contaminated ground water and industrial wastewater.This research has been funded by Scientific Research Deanship at University of Ha’il—Saudi Arabia through project number RG-21 105
Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic
Get PDFUsing new and original nineteenth-century sources, we analysed the epidemiology, clinical
features and virology of the 1889 pandemic, which was referred to at the time as ‘Russian flu’ or
‘Asiatic flu’. However, we rejected this identification of the disease as an ‘influenza’, which we
believe to have been based on insufficient knowledge of the causative agent and instead posit that the
pandemic was caused by a coronavirus. We provide a new account of the 1889–1893 pandemic, with
a more detailed chronology that included at least four epidemiological waves. At the end of 1889, a
new virus appeared in Europe, which could be identified as the coronavirus HCoV-OC43, causing
crude death rates of 1.3 per 1000 population in St Petersburg; 2.1 per 1000 in Paris; 2.8 per 1000 in
Bilbao and on the French–Spanish border; between 2.9 and 5.2 per 1000 in small towns in the Basque
Country; and 5.8 deaths per 1000 in Madrid, which had the highest death rate. The clinical features
of the disease differed from classical influenza pandemics in terms of the latency phase, duration,
symptomatology, convalescence, immunity, age and death rates. Another factor to be considered
was the neurotropic capacity of the disease. The most frequent form of the 1889 pandemic was the
‘nervous form’, with specific symptoms such as ‘heavy headache’ (céphalalgie gravative), tiredness,
fever and delirium. There are strong parallels between the 1889–1894 pandemic and the COVID-19
pandemic, and a better understanding of the former may therefore help us to better manage the latter.Research project: “El mapa de la desigualdad: las ciudades en la primera mitad del siglo XX.” PID2020-116797GB-I00. Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain. (AEI/FEDER, UE)
Influence of the Cumulative Incidence of COVID-19 Cases on the Mental Health of the Spanish Out-of-Hospital Professionals
Get PDFThis study aimed to analyze the psychological affectation of health professionals (HPs) of
Spanish Emergency Medical Services (EMSs) according to the cumulative incidence (CI) of COVID19 cases in the regions in which they worked. A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed,
including all HPs working in any EMS of the Spanish geography between 1 February 2021 and 30 April
2021. Their level of stress, anxiety and depression (DASS-21) and the perception of self-efficacy (GSES) were the study’s main results. A 2-factor analysis of covariance was used to determine if the CI
regions of COVID-19 cases determined the psychological impact on each of the studied variables. A
total of 1710 HPs were included. A third presented psychological impairment classified as severe.
The interaction of CI regions with the studied variables did not influence their levels of stress, anxiety,
depression or self-efficacy. Women, younger HPs or those with less EMS work experience, emergency
medical technicians (EMT), workers who had to modify their working conditions or those who lived
with minors or dependents suffered a greater impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in certain regions.
These HPs have shown high levels of stress, anxiety, depression and medium levels of self-efficacy,
with similar data in the different geographical areas. Psychological support is essential to mitigate
their suffering and teach them to react to adverse events.This research was funded by Fundación ASISA and Sociedad Española de Urgencias y Emergencias (SEMES)
A Simulation Model for the Non-Electrogenic Uniport Carrier-Assisted Transport of Ions across Lipid Membranes
Get PDFImpressive work has been completed in recent decades on the transmembrane anion
transport capability of small synthetic transporters from many different structural classes. However,
very few predicting models have been proposed for the fast screening of compound libraries before
spending time and resources on the laboratory bench for their synthesis. In this work, a new
approach is presented which aims at describing the transport process by taking all the steps into
explicit consideration, and includes all possible experiment-derived parameters. The algorithm is
able to simulate the macroscopic experiments performed with lipid vesicles to assess the ion-transport
ability of the synthetic transporters following a non-electrogenic uniport mechanism. While keeping
calculation time affordable, the final goal is the curve-fitting of real experimental data—so, to obtain
both an analysis and a predictive tool. The role and the relative weight of the different parameters
is discussed and the agreement with the literature is shown by using the simulations of a virtual
benchmark case. The fitting of real experimental curves is also shown for two transporters of different
structural type.This research was funded by the University of Cagliari (FIR 2020). Financial support from MIUR (PRIN 2017 project 2017EKCS35), Fondazione di Sardegna (FdS Progetti Biennali di Ateneo, annualità 2018 and 2020) is also gratefully acknowledged
Diseño experimental para valorar la eficacia de los baños de bosque sobre la salud mental de las enfermeras del servicio de Urgencias del Hospital Universitario de Burgos
Get PDFIntroducción: Los baños de bosque son una forma de entrar en contacto con la naturaleza por la que se han descrito beneficios tanto físicos como mentales y en diversas enfermedades. Objetivos: Diseñar un proyecto de investigación para comprobar el efecto de los baños de bosque sobre la salud mental del personal de enfermería del servicio de Urgencias del Hospital Universitario de Burgos, una población sometida a altos niveles de estrés. Metodología: Se propone llevar a cabo un ensayo clínico aleatorizado reclutando a 38 enfermeras de Urgencias que se asignan aleatoriamente en un grupo control y otro que realizará 8 sesiones de baños de bosque. Se medirán variables relacionadas con la salud mental y física relacionadas con los altos niveles de estrés a los que está sometida esta población en ambos grupos antes y después de la intervención. Discusión y conclusión: Existen pocos estudios que realicen intervenciones con baños de bosque en enfermeras, por lo que el presente diseño puede ayudar a aumentar la evidencia científica del efecto de los baños de bosque en este grupo. Esta terapia está relacionada con el proceso enfermero y las intervenciones de enfermería y el desarrollo de este proyecto permite a la enfermera desarrollar su función investigadora.Introduction: Forest baths are a way of contacting nature in such a way that both physical and mental benefits are obtained and in various diseases. Objectives: To design a research project to verify the effect of forest bathing on the mental health of the nursing staff of the Emergency Services of the University Hospital of Burgos, a population subjected to elevated levels of stress. Methodology: It is proposed to carry out a randomized clinical trial recruiting 38 emergency room nurses who are randomly assigned into a control group and another that will perform 8 forest bathing sessions. Variables related to mental and physical health related to the high levels of stress to which this population is subjected in both groups before and after the intervention will be measured. Discussion and conclusion: There are few studies that carry out interventions with forest bathing in nurses, so the present design can help increase the scientific evidence of the effect of forest bathing in this group. This therapy is related to the nursing process and nursing interventions and the development of this project allows the nurse to develop her research role
Why is the effect of recycled concrete aggregate on the compressive strength of self-compacting concrete not homogeneous? A bibliographic review
Get PDFLa presente revisión bibliográfica profundiza en cómo las características del Árido de Hormigón Reciclado (AHR) afectan al comportamiento resistente del Hormigón AutoCompactante (HAC) y cómo el efecto esperado del AHR puede alterarse por cambios en la composición del HAC. Se demuestra que, si la trabajabilidad del HAC se mantiene constante, la resistencia a compresión disminuye linealmente con el contenido de AHR, aunque este descenso será menor si el AHR procede del machaqueo de un hormigón de mayor resistencia. La disminución de la relación agua/cemento permite compensar esta pérdida de resistencia, aunque su valor debe permitir también mantener una adecuada trabajabilidad del HAC. La absorción de agua del AHR y su interacción con otros compontes incrementan la variabilidad del efecto del AHR. Debido a la gran cantidad de factores implicados en este comportamiento, es recomendable un estudio experimental del AHR y del HAC producido con él antes de su utilización.This literature review deepens in how the properties of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) affect the strength behavior of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) and how the expected effect of RCA can be modified by changes in its composition. It is demonstrated that, if the flowability of the SCC remains constant, the compressive strength decreases linearly with the RCA content, although this decrease is lower if the RCA is obtained from the crushing of a concrete with higher strength. The decrease of the water-to-cement ratio allows compensating this loss of strength, although its value should also allow keeping a suitable flowability. The water absorption of RCA and its interaction with other components of the mix increase the variability of the effect of RCA. Therefore, due to the large number of factors involved in this behavior, it is recommended to experimentally study the RCA and the SCC produced with it before its use.El presente trabajo ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCINN), la Agencia Estatal de Inves-tigación (AEI) y el Fondo Europeo De Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) [código ayuda FPU 17/03374]; la Junta de Castilla y León (JCyL) y el Fondo Europeo De Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) [código proyecto UIC-231; BU119P17]; la iniciativa de empleo juvenil de la Junta de Castilla y León y el Fondo Social Europeo (ESF) [código ayuda UBU05B_1274]; y, final-mente, la Universidad de Burgos (UBU) [código ayuda SU-CONS, Y135.GI]. Los autores desean agradecer a todas estas instituciones su apoyo en este estudio
Bituminous pavement overlay of a porous asphalt mixture with ladle furnace slag: a pilot project.
No full textThis paper presents a pilot experience of applying a novel, high-performance and sustainable material for pavements: a Porous Asphalt (PA) mixture that incorporates Ladle Furnace Slag (LFS). The overlay of a thin surface layer of this material was applied to an existing bituminous pavement. The main investigative results included the validation of the laboratory mix design through large-scale mixing, laying, and compacting, followed by extensive laboratory and field tests. The results showed that the incorporation of up to 10% LFS in porous asphalt mixtures was feasible, with no need for preliminary physical or chemical treatments. The tests on the sustainable PA mixture revealed that its voids content, wear resistance, moisture susceptibility, and skid resistance were within regulatory limits. Neither workability nor compactability issues were observed in the execution of the pavement, and no ridging, rutting, cracking, or stripping were visible on the surface during the first months of use.This work was supported by European Regional Development Fund: [Grant Number FPU17/03374,PID2020-113837RB-I00; 10.13039/501100011033; Plan TCUE, VIIIPC_05]; Junta de Castilla y León: [Grant Number Plan TCUE, VIIIPC_05]; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation: [Grant Number FPU17/03374,PID2020-113837RB-I00; 10.13039/501100011033;]
Long term international collaboration: from teaching to research
Get PDFThe text reports the experience of international collaboration
between the universities of Burgos (Spain) and the School of Health Sciences
Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (Portugal), during 6 academic years till now. What
began as a teaching experience has led to joint research and has yielded results
that make worth continuing the collaboration.
Throughout these six years, 3 final degree projects have been carried out, 12
students have been involved through these projects, 2 research and teaching
exchanges between the teachers involved, 4 presentations at conferences and
the creation of a common line of research, which we hope will give more results.
We would also like to highlight how enriching the experience has been and how,
thanks to it, lectures involved have learned, not only on a professional level,
but also on a personal dimension, acquiring new skills and making real the
concept of lifelong learning