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Sperm traits and seminal plasma proteome of locally adapted hairy rams subjected to intermittent scrotal insulation
Get PDF[EN]The present study evaluated the effects of heat stress on reproductive parameters of
hairy rams. Six animals were subjected to scrotal insulation during four consecutive
nights (6 PM – 6 AM). Day (D) 0 was the first day of insulation. Scrotal circumference
increased from 30.5 ± 0.3 cm (at pre-insulation) to 31.8 ± 0.4 cm on D4, decreased 3.9
cm on D28, returning to 30.6 ± 0.6 cm on D57. Sperm concentration decreased from
3.7 ± 0.12 x 109 sperm/mL before insulation to 2.6 ± 0.1 x 109 on D23, returning to
normal on D57. Sperm motility averaged 75 ± 2.9 % before insulation, was
undetectable on D23, and became normal on D77. Sperm with normal morphology
reached 5.9 ± 2.6 % on D35 but recovered (86.8 ± 2.1 %) on D91. Sperm DNA
integrity decreased from 86.5 ± 4.7 % before insulation to 11.1 ± 3.7 % on D63,
returning to pre-insulation values on D120. Sperm BSP immunostaining was reduced
after scrotal insulation. Variations in seminal protein abundances coincided with
changes in sperm parameters. Seminal plasma superoxide dismutase,
carboxypeptidase Q-precursor and NPC intracellular cholesterol transporter 2
decreased on D18, returning to normal after D28. Albumin, inhibitor of carbonic
anhydrase precursor, EGF-like repeat and discoid I-like domain-containing protein 3
and polymeric immunoglobulin receptor increased after insulation. In summary,
intermittent scrotal insulation drastically altered ram sperm attributes and seminal
proteins, especially those associated with oxidative stress. Knowledge of animal´s
response to thermal stress is vital in the scenario of climate changes.NOFinancial support for the present work was provided by The Brazilian Research Council - CNPq (grants # 312742/2022-3 and 406866/2022-8 awarded to A. Moura); Brazilian Commission for Higher Education (CAPES); and Ceará State Foundation for the Support of Technology and Scientific Development (FUNCAP). Grants (CT-INFRA/MCTI-SISANO; Pró-Equipamentos CAPES) managed by the Core Analytical Unit (“Central Analítica”) of UFC also supported this research. Marta Neila-Montero was supported by MEC (fellowship FPU17/04142), and Rafael Montes-Garrido by Junta de Castilla y León and FSE PO 14-20 (fellowship ORDEN EDU/556/2019), from the Government of Spain
Wandering from New Granada through Sor Juana's places: from monastic space to the totality of american espace en the work of Álvarez de Velasco
No full text[ES] Nuestro objetivo primordial en este trabajo ha sido tratar de comprender la visión de los espacios que se mencionan en la Carta laudatoria de Álvarez de Velasco, dedicada a sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, y cómo han sido aprovechados por el autor. Por un
lado, en un nivel de espacios íntimos y vitales; por otro, en un nivel superior de comprensión de pertenencia a un espacio de sociabilidad, que estaría representado geográficamente por las demarcaciones urbanas (México y Santa Fé de Bogotá), las nacionales (Nueva España y Nueva Granada) y la supranacional de América, como aglutinadora de la herencia de la cultura occidental, representada por la monja mexicana. Precisamente esto ultimo dará lugar a las reivindicaciones criollas de! espacio americano, que retornara Manuel del Socorro Rodríguez en vísperas de la independencia.[EN] In this essay, we try to understand the vision of the spaces that are mentioned in Álvarez de Velasco's Carta laudatoria, dedicated to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and how these have been used by the author. On the one hand, we look at the level of intimate, living spaces. On the other, we look at a higher level of understanding associated with a space of sociability which is urban (Mexico City and Santa Fe de Bogotá), proto-national (New Spain and New Granada), and supranational (America), as a consolidator of the Western cultural inheritance represented by the Mexican nun. It is this last level that will give rise to creole revindications of American space and which Manuel de Socorro Rodríguez will take up on the eve of independence
Corner detection-based localization in structured environments
Get PDF[ES] La gran exactitud y resolución que presentan las mediciones realizadas con sensores LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) los convierte en habituales en sistemas SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping). El gran volumen de datos proporcionado por dichos sensores se puede reducir a un conjunto de puntos característicos que definen el entorno. Dicha reducción de datos simplifica el proceso de mapeado y posicionamiento disminuyendo así la carga computacional del proceso SLAM. En este trabajo se propone un sistema para la estimación de la trayectoria seguida por un elemento robótico basado únicamente en información LiDAR 2D. La nube de puntos proporcionada por el sensor es analizada para extraer una serie de esquinas características que conforman el entorno de navegación, que nos permiten estimar el movimiento del robot mediante PLGO (Pose-Landmark Graph Optimization). Los resultados experimentales muestran como el sistema propuesto ofrece una precisión en la localización del robot comparable a la que se puede obtener mediante técnicas ICP (Iterative Closest Point).[EN] LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors provide high accuracy and high resolution readings of the environment, which
makes them a common sensor to be used in SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) systems. The large volume of data
provided by these sensors can be reduced to a set of characteristic points that define the environment, consequently simplifying
the mapping and positioning process, while reducing the storage needed to preserve the measurements taken by the robot as well
as the result of the SLAM process carried out. In this work, we propose a system for the estimation of the trajectory followed
by a robot equipped solely with a 2D LiDAR. The pointcloud is analyzed to extract a set of characteristic corners that compose
the navigation environment, which allows for the estimation of the robot trajectory by means of PLGO (Pose-Landmark Graph
Optimization). Experimental results show that the proposed method offers a localization accuracy similar to using ICP (Iterative
Closest Point).SIEste trabajo se encuentra parcialmente financiado por la Universidad de León en el marco del ”Programa Propio de Investigación de la Universidad de León 2021
Investigating Electromechanical Engineering Lecturers’ Perceptions of MOOCs
No full text[EN] Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer a wide range of training opportunities for university students. However, to date, little research has been done to assess the level of awareness and knowledge about MOOCS among Spanish engineering lecturers generally or more specifically among those teaching electromechanical engineering. To address this gap in the literature, a quantitative exploratory survey was performed. A questionnaire was sent to electromechanical engineering lecturers working in Universities across Spain and a total of 102 of these were completed and returned. Results from our corpus suggest that, despite the increased prevalence of online teaching in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a striking lack of knowledge about MOOCs among lecturers: 61.78 % reported having very little or only moderate knowledge of MOOCs. We also observed a very clear generational gap among lecturers in their perceptions about MOOCs. In particular, the percentage of lecturers confessing to having no opinion about MOOCs was only 6.1% for the age group 31 to 40 years old, whereas it was as high as 37.5% for those over 60. For learning and reviewing purposes, MOOCs were perceived as more appropriate for lifelong learning than as a replacement for one-time training courses traditionally offered by universities (8.0% of participants). Our findings lead us to conclude there is a pressing need for action within Spanish universities to raise awareness about MOOCs and support lecturers in the wider use of this type of course.S
Is there an association between road building and bovine tuberculosis herd risk? A three time-point study in Ireland, 2011–2019
Get PDF[EN] Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis which results in a significant economic cost to cattle industries and governments where it is endemic. In Ireland, the European badger is the main wildlife reservoir of infection. In this study, we investigated whether (motorway) road construction was associated with an increased risk of bTB in associated cattle herds. For this study, we considered three observation periods: pre-construction (2011–2014), construction (2015–2017) and post-construction (2018–2019). We selected 1543 herds situated, based on proximity, between >50 m and 3 km from the roadworks were found to be at reduced risk of a bTB breakdown over the construction period compared with those situated within 1 km of the roadworks for ≥1 reactor/s (>3 km and construction vs. 3 km and construction vs. <1 km: OR: 0.431, 95 % CI: 0.174–1.067). Other previously reported risk factors such as inward movements, herd-size and herd-type were also associated with bTB risk in the final models (≥1 reactor/s and ≥3 reactors). These findings appear to be consistent with bTB breakdowns being a consequence as opposed to coincident to road construction, given the temporal and spatial consistency of the evidence. The potential for badger social group disturbance leading to the spatial spread of infection to cattle herds, as previously described in the United Kingdom, could be a hypothetical mechanism to explain these findings. However, our findings are not consistent with previous Irish studies, including recent work from another road construction project, albeit running alongside and cross over an existing road rather than construction of a new road as in this case, or experiences from national targeted badger removal. Further research is warranted to verify this pattern occurs elsewhere, and the underlying biological mechanism. Until further data are available, we recommend that badgers are vaccinated, as a precautionary measure, in advance of the commencement of major roadworksNOP.B. was supported by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) short-term fellowship grant number 8,794 during the development of this projec
Argocapitalismo y multinter.net: hacia nuevas competencias del trabajo futuro en una economía impulsada por datos
No full text[ES] Si bien puede parecer contradictorio, la distancia social y las prohibiciones
de viaje de la Covid-19 han motivado un aumento del acercamiento
digital sin parangón que, en realidad, ha ayudado a impulsar
notablemente la innovación. Después de todo, la necesidad es la madre
de la invención, por lo que personas de todo el mundo han encontrado
nuevas formas de participar, conectarse y completar su trabajo. De
hecho, un posible beneficio imprevisto de tal sindemia pudiera ser la
capacidad de experimentar con enfoques cooperativos de tecnología a
través de las fronteras que conducen a un futuro global más sostenible,
seguro e inclusivo. En efecto, la colaboración global desde 2020 ha
avanzado a una escala que se estudiará durante décadas. Las herramientas
digitales y las experiencias inmersivas, reforzadas por la realidad
aumentada (AR) y la realidad virtual (VR), así como las herramientas
de colaboración a distancia, están ganando una rápida adopción mientras
nos aceleran en el camino hacia la Sociedad 5.0
Bi-material security barrier based on ELT’s rubber for reducing impact severity. Proof of concept, preliminary results
Get PDF[EN] After some research works dealing with the characterization of renewed rubber obtained by recycling
end of life tires (ELT) under impact loading, with the aim of including its behavior equations in a numerical
model; at the present work the final comparison of numerical and experimental results for laboratory-
scale bi-material specimens are presented. Considering those results satisfactory, we present our
fist proof of concept adding the ELT’s rubber, in an elemental way, to the usual metallic barriers used
nowadays in Spain. The preliminary results are slightly disappointing although we hope they can improve
considering more sophisticated designs.Agradecemos la financiación mediante los proyectos UMA20-FEDERJA-028 -Absorción de Energía de Impacto a Partir de Neumáticos Fuera de Uso -NFU- Reciclados. Aplicación a Sistemas de Contención de Vehículos- de la Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades, dentro de los Proyectos I+D+i en el marco del Programa Operativo FEDE
The Impact of Physical Activity on Risk and Health-Related Quality of Life in Bladder Cancer
Get PDF[EN] Sedentarism is an important modifiable risk factor in the struggle against cancer. In the last decades, the relationship between physical activity and different types of cancer has been investigated in depth. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the literature on the effectiveness of physical activity in reducing the risk to develop bladder cancer and improving health-related quality of life in patients. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted through a search of the Embase, Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WOS) databases to seek information and PRISMA system to delimitate the research. Outcomes included in searches were physical activity, tobacco consumption, obesity, body mass index, and metabolic syndrome, associated with bladder cancer and quality of life. RESULTS: Database searches identified 394 records, of which 75 were duplicated. A total of 280 articles were excluded based on abstract screening. An additional 16 full-text articles were excluded because they did not meet the eligibility criteria. Overall, 21 of the 23 studies included in the review reported beneficial effects of physical activity in bladder cancer. The majority of papers found that physical activity is a significant factor in reducing the risk of bladder cancer. Moreover, physical activity improves health-related quality of life in bladder cancer survivors, and diminishes both recurrence and mortality in those who engage in regular activity. Lastly, physical inactivity is associated with increased body mass index, obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and unfavourable energy balance, which led to a greater probability of suffering from bladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These data reinforce the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of bladder cancer and to improve survivorship and health-related quality of life of patients.S
Experimental performance at high temperatures of stainless-steel fiber-reinforced concrete
No full text[EN] Fibers are used to reinforce concrete, with steel and polypropylene fibers being particularly notable.
Stainless steel offers advantages such as durability, corrosion resistance, and ductility, although its use
in fiber-reinforced concrete is not widely studied. This work analyzes concrete mixtures with three types
of fibers: carbon steel, stainless steel, and synthetic macrofibers, along with a reference mixture without
fibers. Consistency, compressive strength, and flexural strength were evaluated after 28 days of
curing, as well as residual flexural strength after exposure to 300°C. The results show good overall performance
and a slight reduction in residual strength after thermal exposure
Feasibility analysis of piezoelectric energy harvesters on tensioned cables under wind loads
No full text[EN] This study investigates the potential of combining remote network monitoring with energy harvesting
to improve structural health monitoring (SHM) in civil engineering. It focuses on capturing energy from
wind-induced vibrations in tensioned steel cables. A numerical analysis compares various energy
harvester setups under different wind conditions. The main objectives are to: (i) identify vibration
conditions that allow efficient energy harvesting without harming cable performance; (ii) evaluate how
well different harvesters perform in dynamic wind environments; and (iii) assess the efficiency of
common piezoelectric materials for cable-based harvesters. The results aim to guide the development
of self-powered SHM systems for large-scale infrastructure exposed to wind.This study has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the project "Updated physics-informed models for the fatigue assessment of cables and external posttensioning systems in bridges" under the grant agreement PID2024-157616OA-C2