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Insects adapt commonly to seasonally changing habitats and reproductive contexts. Individuals that mature at different times during the year can show patterns of life cycle or morphological variation, possibly associated with changes in reproductive behaviour. Concerning mating strategies of flying insects, wing morphology may be related both to the outcome of male–male contests and to the ability in acquiring females. Therefore, different mating strategies (territorial vs. non-territorial) may have different flight morphology optima that increase fitness in their context. Males of Calopteryx splendens are mainly territorial early in the season, but with the advancing season and with increasing competition, more and more males adopt a non-territorial pursuing strategy. Given that different mating tactics have different wing morphologies, here we test whether the wing shape of males shifts from a “territorial” to a “non-territorial morphology” during the season. So, early in the season males show highly sexually dimorphic wings, which allow for high manoeuvrability and larger spots, while late in the season wing shapes of males become less sexually dimorphic and more suitable when pursuing females. Additionally, we studied the seasonal variation of other flight related traits, specifically wing lengths, abdomen length and weight. We found that these latter traits decreased along the season in both sexes without altering sexual dimorphism. However, wing shape, which resulted sexually dimorphic, showed a seasonal variation, decreasing the level of sexual dimorphism. The most probable determinant of this change is phenotypic plasticity triggered by environmental cues, but other explications of the observed pattern are discussed.

Recycling of industrial waste materials to manufacture environmentally friendly mortars and concretes is gaining more and more interest, in particular for sustainability, rehabilitation and renovation purposes. In the present study geopolymers, which had been made using fly ash as a precursor and were subsequently subjected to curing at room temperature, were investigated. Geopolymeric and cementitious mortars with the same mechanical strength class were compared in both the fresh and hardened states. Despite the higher free shrinkage and lower adhesive strength on brick substrate, geopolymeric mortars behaved better than cement types in terms of lower dynamic modulus of elasticity, higher water vapour permeability, lower capillary water absorption and higher resistance to salt crystallisation.

In order to decrease energy consumption in buildings, a new way to recycle materials coming from biomasses waste in mortars was studied. For this purpose, mortars with water/cement equal to 0.5 by weight and aggregate/cement equal to 3.5 by volume were considered. Cement was replaced by hydraulic lime and sand was substituted with two different types of spruce sawdust shavings (as it is and roasted), biomass bottom ash and biomass fly ash. The results show that mortar prepared with cement has obviously a better mechanical strength and 60% lower capillary water absorption. All unconventional aggregates increase the total porosity of lime mortars. Moreover, biomass fly ash and both spruce sawdust shavings based mortars can be classified as lightweight mortar. Regardless of porosity and lightness, biomass bottom ash improves up to 150% the mechanical performance of lime-based mortars. Concerning durability, bio-based lime mortars show in general nearly twice higher capillary water absorption with respect to the sand lime mortars whit the exception of spruce sawdust shavings and biomass bottom ash. Mortars can be classified as permeable to water vapour. As it is and roasted spruce sawdust shavings are able to increase three and two times the capacity of the mortar to be a hygroscopic buffer in terms of MBV values.

Structural health monitoring to assess the safety, durability and performance of structures can be performed by non-destructive methods such as the measurement of impedance in self-sensing cement-based elements. Cement-based materials, like mortars and concretes, generally have high electrical resistivity but the addition of carbon-based fillers and fibres decreases their electrical resistivity and thus enhances their self-sensing capabilities. In this study, two waste carbon-based fillers, namely, used foundry sand and gasification char were compared to commercial graphene nanoplatelets and used to produce self-sensing cement mortars, both with and without recycled or virgin carbon fibres. The mortars were tested in terms of their mechanical and electrical properties as well as their propensity to capillary water absorption. The results demonstrate that gasification char alone is the best carbonaceous waste for decreasing the electrical resistivity (&minus, 42%) and water absorption (&minus, 17%) of mortars, while their compressive strength remains unaltered. Moreover, although there is a slight reduction in compressive strength and an increase in water suction when gasification char is coupled with fibres, the combination of fillers and fibres has a synergistic effect in decreasing mortars&rsquo, electrical resistivity, especially when recycled carbon fibres are used (&minus, 80%).

This paper aims at analyzing the state-of-the-art techniques to measure electrical impedance (and, consequently, electrical resistivity) of mortar/concrete elements. Despite the validity of the concept being widely proven in the literature, a clear standard for this measurement is still missing. Different methods are described and discussed, highlighting pros and cons with respect to their performance, reliability, and degree of maturity. Both monitoring and inspection approaches are possible by using electrical resistivity measurements; since electrical resistivity is an important indicator of the health status of mortar/concrete, as it changes whenever phenomena modifying the conductivity of mortar/concrete (e.g., degradation or attacks by external agents) occur, this review aims to serve as a guide for those interested in this type of measurements.

There is an increasing interest towards the development of alternative binders for the manufacture of sustainable mortars and concretes. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is the most commonly used material in construction, even if its production process is highly polluting. Both calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) and alkali-activated cements (AAC) are potential alternative binders to be used in both structural (R3 class, with Rc ≥ 25 MPa) and non-structural applications (R1 and R2 classes, with Rc ≥ 10 MPa and Rc ≥ 15 MPa, respectively) according to UNI EN 1504-3. This paper reports the hydration mechanisms and the evolution of porosity of OPC-, CSA- and AAC-based binders. The properties of fresh and hardened mortars, belonging to the above-mentioned mechanical strength classes, were evaluated and compared with particular emphasis on durability properties in terms of capillary water absorption, drying shrinkage, and resistance to sulfate attack. The results show that CSA-based mortars exhibit the lowest drying shrinkage due to their highest elasticity modulus. AAC mortars are characterized by the highest water vapor permeability and the lowest capillary water absorption for the highest presence of large pores (>3000 nm).

The paper aims to provide a comprehensive study on the compositional optimization of high-conductive multifunctional fiber-reinforced cement mortars (FRCMs). Therefore, the effects of three different fiber types: virgin carbon fibers (VCFs), recycled carbon fibers (RCFs), and brass-plated steel fibers (BSFs), added at a broad range of concentrations, as 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.8%, 1.2%, and 1.6% by volume, on the mechanical, electrical and durability properties of FRCMs have been compared. The results showed that RCFs increase the flexural and tensile splitting strength up to 100%, whereas BSFs improve the compressive strength by 38%. Moreover, the fibers decrease both the capillary water absorption and the drying shrinkage by 39%. Electrical conductivity tests show that RCFs decrease the electrical resistivity of mortars up to one order of magnitude, in addition to a percolation threshold between 0.1 and 0.2 vol%.

This paper reports a study on 8 unconventional hydraulic lime-based mortars able to improve indoor air quality by acting as passive systems. Mortars have been prepared with commercial sand or highly adsorbent materials as aggregates with/without TiO2 as photocatalytic agent, to test also the decomposition of airborne pollutants. Mechanical properties, hygrometric behavior, inhibition of growth of molds and depollution properties have been tested. Despite using porous materials (zeolite and activated carbon), in mortars with unconventional aggregates, compressive strength is higher than in sand-based ones, with a more than double higher water vapor permeability. Zeolite-based mortars have the highest moisture buffering capacity followed by silica gel- and activated carbon-based mortars (1.5–2 times higher than reference, respectively, because of the high porosity of unconventional aggregates). Sand-based mortars show optimum inhibitory capacity against fungal growth. Concerning unconventional aggregates, silica gel mortars have good inhibitory capacity, whereas zeolite and activated carbon give to mortars an optimum substrate for molds. Mortars with unconventional aggregates as silica gel remove more than 80% of tracer pollutant after 2 h of test, whereas zeolite-based mortars remove the 65% of it after 120 min. TiO2 enhances depollution properties as photocatalytic oxidation agent when the mortar is close to saturation.

The stabilizing capacity of crystalline inulin during spray-drying and storage of Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114 was assessed. In a first step, the physical properties of the matrices were investigated, using amorphous inulin as control. Melting and glass transition temperatures, water sorption isotherms, water activity, and infrared spectra were determined. Microorganisms were spray-dried at a pilot scale in both amorphous and crystalline matrices. After that, scanning electronic and confocal microsopies provided a full landscape about the interactions between microorganisms and crystals, and also the bacterial location within the amorphous matrices. The technological properties of the dehydrated microorganisms (culturability and acidification capacity) during storage at different water activities were also evaluated. Both amorphous and crystalline inulins were adequate matrices to stabilize microorganisms. However, crystalline inulin was more stable than amorphous one, especially when the storage temperature was close to the glass transition temperature, resulting in a better matrix to protect microorganisms during pilot spray-drying and storage. Furthermore, no accumulation of insoluble inulin was observed after resuspending the dehydrated microorganisms in crystalline inulin matrices, which appears as a clear technological advantage with regard to the amorphous one. Considering the prebiotic character of inulin and the probiotic properties of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114, this work developed an integrated approach, both from a fundamental and from an applied viewpoint, supporting the incorporation of such ingredients in the formulation of food products. Fil: Romano, Nelson Gastón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentina Fil: Mobili, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentina Fil: Zuñiga-Hansen, Maria Elvira. Centro Regional de Estudios En Alimentos Saludables, Valparaiso; Chile. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso;Chile; Argentina Fil: Gomez-Zavaglia, Andrea. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentina

Nowadays, construction is one of the main sectors that produces waste and consume more materials and energy, so there is a growing need for alternative construction technologies that allow us to modify this situation. In this context, this paper presents the development of an innovative proposal for an industrialized outdoor enclosure. This solution is based on a constructive system with prefabricated insulated sandwich panels, produced on the basis of a new eco-efficient composite material, based on raw stabilized clay. In this way, it is possible, prioritize environmental issues to significantly reduce the environmental impact generated during the manufacture of the piece. The use in the construction of buildings material such as stabilized raw clay can be an alternative to achieve buildings of nearly zero energy consumption. They are known both from a thermal comfort and ability to regulate temperature and humidity, as well as being materials that contain much less embodied energy. This study is a comparative analysis of building systems, as well, as a serie of selected patent systems and copyrighted materials. On the other hand, it also analyzes their enforcement against the values established by the Spanish building code.

Prosopis nigra, a sucrose-rich crop, was used to enzymatically synthesize fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). The obtained products were used as stabilizing matrices during freeze-drying and storage of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CIDCA 333. The centesimal composition of P. nigra flour was firstly determined. FOS were synthesized using Viscozyme L as biocatalyst. The progress of the enzymatic reaction was monitored by HPLC and compared with a reaction carried out using equivalent concentrations of pure sucrose as substrate (control). Then, P. nigra containing or not the obtained FOS (P. nigra + FOS or P. nigra) were used as matrices for freeze-drying and storage of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CIDCA 333. P. nigra flour was rich in simple sugars (sucrose and fructose), total dietary fiber, and polyphenols. The main products of synthesis were FOS with degrees of polymerization (DP) within 3 and 5, and these results were comparable with those of the controls. DP3 was the first product obtained, attaining the maximal production after 1.29 hours of synthesis. The maximal production of total FOS (DP3 + DP4 + DP5) was achieved after 2.57 hours, indicating that larger FOS (DP4, DP5) were produced from DP3. Glucose was obtained as secondary product, but with significantly lower Vmax and Kf (maximal velocity for the production and constant for the formation) than DP3. Both P. nigra + FOS or P. nigra matrices stabilized the highly sensitive L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CIDCA 333 strain during freeze-drying and storage for up to 140 days at 4 °C, and were significantly better protectants than the controls of sucrose (p

The possibility of recycling mixed colour waste glass as it is for manufacturing decorative architectural mortars, has been investigated. In mortars, the 0–33–66–100% of calcareous gravel volume has been replaced with recycled glass cullets, with no other inorganic addition. To mitigate the possible alkali–silica reaction, mixes with a hydrophobic admixture were also compared. The obtained results show that the replacement of calcareous gravel with glass cullets of similar grain size distribution permits to reduce the dosage of the superplasticizer admixture to obtain the same workability of fresh mortar; it does not affect significantly the mechanical performances, the water vapour permeability and the capillary water absorption but it reduces significantly the drying shrinkage deformation. The used recycled glass is classified as no reactive in terms of alkali–silica reaction neither in water nor in NaOH solution following the parameters of the current normative, even in the absence of the hydrophobic admixture. The hydrophobic admixture further delays the expansion trigger but not the speed of its propagation.

Two types of inulins of different composition were investigated in the glassy and in the crystalline states, at relative humidities within 11 and 97%. The melting and glass transition temperatures (Tm, Tg), and their crystallinity indexes (CI) were determined by modulated differential-scanning calorimetry (MDSC) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), respectively. In parallel assays, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) coupled to principal component analysis (PCA) enabled a physical-chemical and structural characterization of samples, explaining 90% of the total variance. Finally, partial least square (PLS) models were defined to determine Tg, Tm, and CI directly from the FTIR spectra, using the MDSC and WAXS results as reference methods. In all cases, the mean of predicted values fitted very well those of the reference methods (R2 > 0.961), thus supporting the use of the PLS models to investigate unknown samples. The robustness of the models underlines the usefulness of FTIR to easily determine physical-chemical parameters, otherwise requiring complex preparation of samples and prolonged times of analysis., Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos

The total substitution by volume of natural coarse calcareous aggregate by coarse recycled brick aggregate (RBA) and coarse recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) has been investigated to produce more sustainable and environment-friendly mortars. Aggregates were also partially substituted by their fines at 12.5% by volume. Mortars have been tested in terms of mechanical, microstructural, and durability properties. Results show that it is feasible to replace a natural calcareous aggregate entirely by recycled aggregates. In particular, the obtained mortars, even if more porous and more prone to the water capillary absorption than that manufactured with natural aggregates, result in less stiffness and thus are less subjected to crack formation, more permeable to water vapour, and less susceptible to sulphate attack.

In Europe, the total amount of Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) waste is increasing. In order to valorise GRP dust (GRPd) waste and to reduce the consumption of nonrenewable resources in building materials, GRPd has been already investigated in cementitious materials where it gives even an improvement in some performances of the final products. Valorisation of GRPd waste in the production of bricks can be considered as a further alternative. In this paper, GRPd waste was substituted to the clay volume at 5% and 10% for the manufacturing of fired clay bricks. All specimens were subjected to a firing temperature of 850°C for 6 hours, then tested and compared in terms of porosity, compressive and flexural strengths, density, and water absorption. Despite a decrease in compressive strength up to 46% with 10% of GRPd substitution and an increase of water absorption from 14% to 29% with 5% and 10% of GRPd substitution, respectively, an increase in terms of lightness (about 10%), maximum flexural strength (up to 31%), and deflections at the maximum load (up to 130%) has been registered by specimens with 10% of GRPd substitution.

Sexual dimorphism is common in animals and derives from two mechanisms: sexual selection and sexual niche divergence. These mechanisms may work together as determinants of wing shape in pigmented wings of Odonata. On the one hand, sexual selection by females tends to enlarge the wing areas of males that host pigments; on the other hand, sex-specific flight behaviours, due to differential niche selection, may promote sexual dimorphism. Both sexes of Sympetrum pedemontanum have ornamented wings with bands, but their function is poorly understood. Therefore, we studied shape and size of wings and wing bands of S. pedemontanum using geometric morphometrics to quantify the extent of sexual dimorphism. We also investigated whether sexual dimorphism in wing shape derives from the effect of sexual selection on wing ornamentation or from sexual niche separation. We found sexual dimorphism in wing shape and in the shapes of the bands, but the absence and misdirection of sexual size dimorphism and wing shape dimorphism of bands do not support the hypothesis that wings and wing bands in S. pedemontanum are subjected to sexual selection. Instead, the pattern of sexual dimorphism in wing shape seems more likely to be caused by sex-specific flight requirements.

Staphylococcus aureus has been a problem in the area of health, for their behavior in immunosuppressed patients and bacterial resistance has developed in recent decades. It is common that the source of infection be health personnel, hence the knowledge of risk factors and the presence of allergic diseases could prevent nasal colonization of health personnel and subsequent transmission to hospitalized patients. It was a descriptive, not experimental and cross section research to assess the frequency of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in nursing staff of health center from Carabobo state. The sample consisted of 30 nurses, where 50% (15) were not carriers of this organism, 27% (8) carriers SAMS, and 23% (7) carriers of MRSA, 8 patterns of antibiotic resistance were detected, of which highlights resistance, to oxacillin, cefoxitin, clindamycin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, statistically significant association (p = 0.0001) between Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and the presence of a history of allergic diseases is obtained, thus can be considered that the presence of these pathologies is a risk factor of nasal colonization.

This paper deals with the study of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) and geopolymeric (GEO) binders as alternatives to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) for the production of more environmentally-friendly construction materials. For this reason, three types of mortar with the same mechanical strength class (R3 ≥ 25 MPa, according to EN 1504-3) were tested and compared; they were based on CSA cement, an alkaline activated coal fly ash, and OPC. Firstly, binder pastes were prepared and their hydration was studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential thermal-thermogravimetric (DT-TG) analyses. Afterwards, mortars were compared in terms of workability, dynamic modulus of elasticity, adhesion to red clay bricks, free and restrained drying shrinkage, water vapor permeability, capillary water absorption, and resistance to sulfate attack. DT-TG and XRD analyses evidenced the main reactive phases of the investigated binders involved in the hydration reactions. Moreover, the sulfoaluminate mortar showed the smallest free shrinkage and the highest restrained shrinkage, mainly due to its high dynamic modulus of elasticity. The pore size distribution of geopolymeric mortar was responsible for the lowest capillary water absorption at short times and for the highest permeability to water vapor and the greatest resistance to sulfate attack.

Innovative and multifunctional mortars for renders and panels were manufactured using white photocatalytic and non-photocatalytic cement as binder. Unconventional aggregates, based on lightweight materials with high specific surface and adsorbent properties, were adopted in order to investigate the possible ability to passively improve indoor air quality. The reference mortar was manufactured with traditional calcareous sand. Results show that even if the mechanical properties of mortars with unconventional aggregates generally decrease, they remain acceptable for application as render. The innovative mortars were able to passively improve indoor air quality in terms of transpirability (70% higher), moisture buffering ability (65% higher) and depolluting capacity (up to 75% higher) compared to traditional ones under the current test conditions.

Rational Emotive Education (REE) is a psychological educational program offering a preventative psycho-educational curriculum to children in order to teach them emotional literacy skills. REE helps children by teaching them to challenge irrational thinking, to minimize their reactions to disappointment and frustrations, to cope more effectively with problems, and to more fully accept themselves. The efficacy of REE training for children and teachers was examined in a sample of 211 third grade students from nine different classes and 26 teachers. Each class was randomly assigned to one of three different groups, two experimental groups and a control group, each receiving different training. First objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of a REE training based on storytelling in changing children’s irrational beliefs. Second objective of our study was to observe the efficacy of a teachers’ training similar to that applied in REBT-focused school consultation groups in enhancing their self-efficacy. Results show an improved tendency in children to think rationally and an enhanced perception of self-efficacy in teachers for those groups that underwent the training compared to the control group. Our results suggest that REBT based trainings for children and teachers should be integrated into the classroom curriculum in order to prevent mental health problems and encourage positive social and emotional well-being.

Malt sprout (MS), a by-product of the malt industry obtained by removing rootlets and sprouts from the seed of germinated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), was used as culture, dehydration and storage medium of three strains of lactobacilli: Lactobacillus salivarius CM-CIDCA 1231B and CM-CIDCA 1232Y and Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114. The three strains were grown in MS and MS supplemented with 20% w/v fructo-oligosaccharides (MS FOS). Bacterial growth was determined by registering the decrease of pH and by plate counting. Comparable results with those of microorganisms grown in MRS (controls) were observed in terms of lag times, DpH and acidification rates. Furthermore, during fermentation, a significant increase of DP6 (FOS with degree of polymerization 6) was observed at expenses of inulin and DP7, probably indicating their hydrolysis. A concomitant decrease of DP3, sucrose and monosaccharides was also observed, as result of their bacterial consumption during growth. The presence of FOS in the fermented media protected microorganisms during freeze-drying and storage, as no decrease of culturability was observed after 60 days at 4 C ([108 CFU/mL). Using MS appears as an innovative strategy for the production of lactobacilli at large scale, supporting their use for the elaboration of functional foods containing prebiotics and probiotics., Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos

In the current paper, the effect on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of two commercial acrylic-based paints were compared: one (Paint A) for indoor applications, the other (Paint B) for indoor/outdoor applications. Both were applied on an inert and on a real mortar substrate. The possibility of Paint B to passively improve IAQ was also investigated when adding highly porous adsorbent fillers, both as addition or as total replacement of a conventional siliceous one. The obtained results show that all paints have high capacity to inhibit biological growth. Paint A is more breathable and it has a higher moisture buffering capacity. Paint B negatively modifies the beneficial properties of the mortar substrate for IAQ. However, the use of unconventional fillers, especially as addition to the formulation, allows the recovery of the same properties of the substrate or even the enhancement of about 20% of the ability to adsorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under the current test conditions.

Este artigo apresenta a história e a etnografia do povo udi-albanês,minoria étnica do Azerbaijão e uma das mais antigas culturas da humanidadecom história contínua. Remanescentes do antigo Reino da Albânia do Cáucaso,conservaram a língua nativa, costumes e o cristianismo em meio ao milenardomínio islâmico. Atualmente tem representatividade junto ao governo daRepública do Azerbaijão e encontra-se em pleno processo de renascimento culturale desenvolvimento econômico. Fruto de diligentes pesquisas nas áreas daantropologia cultural, história documentada e oral, o autor apresenta relevantesresultados no campo da linguística, história e etnografia do povo udi.

El proyecto tiene como objetivo general el desarrollo de cadenas de valor que se sustenten en la comercialización de productos formulados a partir de materiales de alto valor agregado basados en matrices poliméricas, mediante el agregado de NANO-ARCILLAS modificadas incluyendo las etapas de laboratorio, escala piloto y pre-comercial. En el proyecto interactúan el sector industrial, el ámbito académico y el estado a través de sus áreas de fomento al desarrollo científico tecnológico. Si bien en la etapa inicial se utilizó la metodología clásica de Gestión de Proyectos siguiendo los lineamientos del PMBOK surgió la necesidad de aplicar otra metodología complementaria para el trabajo diario. Los proyectos de I+D+i piden básicamente rapidez y calidad, pero para asumir estos retos, es necesario tener agilidad y flexibilidad. Para ello se implementó la metodología ágil SCRUM. La misma está basada en un proceso constructivo iterativo e incremental donde las iteraciones tienen duración fija pero corta que permite hacer entregas parciales que se van complementando en función del avance del proyecto. Este proyecto requiere, como otros de I+D+i, la ejecución de diversos ensayos de laboratorio cuyos resultados determinan los posteriores cursos de acción. Para ello se requería una metodología que estuviera focalizada en la realización de las tareas que integran las distintas fases de desarrollo del proyecto así como una mayor capacidad de respuesta al cambio frente al seguimiento del plan. Se encontró que aplicando esta metodología se puede responder de manera eficiente a los cambios en los productos en desarrollo y se mejoraba la previsibilidad a través de una mejor gestión del riesgo.

Character displacement (CD) is the evolutionary process which leads to the divergence in trait expression of closely related species in regions where species co-occur, compared to allopatric populations. In Europe CD has been investigated in males of Calopteryx splendens and C. virgo and has been related to species recognition. If species recognition is relevant for males, also females should benefit from CD. The most obvious differences between females of these two species are wing profile and colour. We sampled females from allopatric and from sympatric populations with different relative abundances of these species. Wing shape and pigmentation were evaluated for each damselfly. CD was found in wing profile but not in wing transparency. The relative abundance of species significantly affected CD, but with a different pattern in each species. The prediction that wing shape become more different from the allopatric state when the species was relatively rare, but more similar to the allopatric state when the species was common was evident only for C. splendens. Wing shape changes might increase differences in flying patterns making males more effective to discriminate between heterospecific females. So, CD we observed may be the result of a selection directed to reduce interspecific reproductive interference.

This article presents how concrete properties would change if part of a coarse aggregate (granite crushed stone) were replaced with bitumen roofing production waste (BTw). BTw is a huge ecological problem because these wastes are generated in large quantities when replacing old bitumen-based roof tiles. Wastes are also produced during the production of bituminous roof coatings. Usually BTw are stored in landfills or it is attempted to use/dispose them in the production of asphalt concrete. There are very few works which analyse the impact of BTw on the properties of cement materials, although the impact of these wastes on the properties of cement materials could be beneficial because BTw consist of aggregate, granules, bitumen and fibers. In order to use BTw, standard concrete samples were first formed, then 5/16 granite fraction was replaced with BTw in amounts of 2%, 4% and 6% by weight The amounts of limestone Portland cement, fine aggregate (sand), water and superplasticizer in the concrete mixtures were constant. The new generation of superplasticizer based on polycarboxylates was used in mixtures. The following concrete properties were identified and analyzed: density of the mixture, flowability, density of concrete samples, water absorption, compressive strength, forecasted frost resistance, and microstructure studies were conducted as well. The results of the studies showed that BTw can be used in small amounts, i. e. up to 6%, then the density of the samples slightly decreased (by 2.4%) and water absorption increased (by 0.7%). Compressive strength, after replacing 2% granite crushed stone, decreased by 2.4%. However, gradual addition of the amount of BTw resulted in more closed pores that improved the frost resistance of the concrete. When 6% of bulk filler was replaced with BTw, closed porosity, compared to control samples, increased by 54% and forecasted frost resistance - by 26%. Microstructure analysis showed that with 6% BTw a dense cement stone structure was formed, showing the hydrates of portlandite and CSH.

The aim of this work was to assess the role of mono- and oligosaccharides present in fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) mixtures as protective agents during freeze-drying and storage of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CIDCA 333. Different FOS mixtures were enzymatically obtained from sucrose and further purified by removing the monosaccharides produced as secondary products. Their glass transition temperatures (Tg) were determined at 11, 22 and 33% relative humidity (RH). Bacterial cultures were freeze-dried in the presence of 20% w/v solutions of the studied FOS. Their protective effect during freeze-drying was assessed by bacterial plate counting, and by determining the lag time from growth kinetics and the uptake of propidium iodide (PI). Plate counting during bacterial storage at 4 °C, and 11, 22 and 33% RH for 80 days completed this rational analysis of the protective effect of FOS. Purification of FOS led to an increase of Tg in all the conditions assayed. Microorganisms freeze-dried in the presence of non-purified FOS were those with the shortest lag times. Bacteria freeze-dried with pure or commercial FOS (92% of total FOS) showed larger lag times (8.9–12.6 h). The cultivability of microorganisms freeze-dried with non-purified FOS and with sucrose was not significantly different from that of bacteria before freeze-drying (8.74 ± 0.14 log CFU/mL). Pure or commercial FOS were less efficient in protecting bacteria during freeze-drying. All the protectants prevented membrane damage. The cultivability of bacteria freeze-dried with FOS decayed

International audience; Phytotherapy is increasingly used against infections in many parts of the world. Plants of the genus Artemisia, Asteraceae, are among those most exploited and several of its species were thus described as having antibacterial and antifungal effects. The infusions of Artemesia annua has been indicated as having disinfecting capacity in bacteriological contaminated water. The cultivability of Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli was carried out in different extract solutions of A. annua aimed at describing the order of importance of some abiotic factors on this process. The bacterial abundance undergoes temporal variation with respect to pH of extract, A. annua extract and glucose concentrations, light intensity. The hierarchical organization of these factors has been carried out by expressing percentage and ranking in descending order of the sum of squares of each MANOVA test factor. It showed that cultivability of E. faecalis in A. annua extract solutions was influenced by the incubation durations, followed by the type of dilutions, light intensity, pH of extract, concentration of A. annua extract, and glucose concentrations. On the contrary, the cultivability of E. coli in A. annua extract solutions was influenced by the incubation durations, pH of infusion, type of dilutions, concentrations of A. annua extract, glucose concentrations and light intensity. The increase of the incubation durations, light intensity and pH of extract solutions caused a significant (P≤0.01) decrease of the effect of A. annua on E. faecalis and E. coli cultivability.