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Riparian vegetation actively interacts with fluvial systems affecting river hydrodynamics, morphodynamics and groundwater. These interactions can be coupled because both vegetation and hydromorphology (i.e. the combined scientific study of hydrology and fluvial geomorphology) involve dynamic processes with similar temporal and spatial scales. To predict and assess the consequences of restoration measures, maintenance operations or human pressures in rivers, managers and planners may wish to model these interactions considering the different and interdisciplinary implications in the fields of ecology, geomorphology and hydrology. In this paper, we review models that are currently available and that incorporate the processes that relate riparian vegetation to hydromorphology. The models that are considered include those emphasizing hydraulic-geomorphological processes (such as flow resistance, sediment transport and bank dynamics) as well as those emphasizing ecological processes (seed dispersal, plant survival, growth, succession and mortality). Models interpreting the coupled evolution between riparian vegetation and river morphology and groundwater are also presented. The aim is to provide an overview of current modelling capabilities and limitations and to identify future modelling challenges.

Objective: To investigate the age at menarche, pubarche and telarche in a representative sample of residents of an urban zone of Leon, Guanajuato, Central Mexico and to evaluate the secular change of the age at menarche between 1985 and 2000. Methods: Using status quo and retrospective methods, menarcheal, pubarcheal and telarcheal status of girls 8 - 17 years of age (n = 1093) were determined. Multiple regression analysis and logistic regression were used to determine factors that were related to or predictive of age at menarche. Results: Median ages for menarche, pubarche and telarche in our studied sample were: 11.9 ± 0.04; 11.13 ± 1.25 and 10.84 ± 1.34 years, respectively. A direct correlation was found between the age of menarche of adolescents and that of their mother (p p p = 0.001), but an indirect correlation was found with the girls’ hip circumference (p = 0.004). We demonstrated a clear secular tendency towards an earlier onset of menarche by comparing our results (11.9 ± 0.04) with data from 1985 (12.8 ± 1.3) for adolescents from the same city. Conclusion: We demonstrated a clear reduction in age at menarche of approximately 0.75 year/decade, higher than Tanner’s finding in 1962, but similar than that of Malina et al. in 2004.

Neuromodulation using electrical stimulation is able to enhance motor control of individuals suffering an upper motor neuron disorder. This work examined the effect of sustained electrical stimulation to modify spasticity in the leg muscles. We applied transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation with a pulse rate of 50 Hz for 30 min. The subjects were assessed before and after the intervention using in a pendulum test setup. The motion of the free swinging leg was acquired through video tracking and goniometer measurements. The quantification was done through the R2n index which shows consistency identifying the spasticity levels. In all incomplete SCI subjects having severe spasticity, the results show that electrical stimulation is effective to modify the increased muscle tone., Research funding: This work was supported by the Mexican Council of Research and Technology (CONACYT), Grant: 264528 (www.conacyt.mx) and; Landspitali – University Hospital science found (www.landspitali.is).

There is multiple evidence in the literature that a sub-threshold pre-pulse, delivered immediately prior to an electrical stimulation pulse, can alter the activation threshold of nerve fibers and motor unit recruitment characteristics. So far, previously published works combined monophasic stimuli with sub-threshold depolarizing pre-pulses (DPPs) with inconsistent findings-in some studies, the DPPs decreased the activation threshold, while in others it was increased. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of DPPs during biphasic transcutaneous electrical stimulation and to study the possible mechanism underlying those differences. Sub-threshold DPPs between 0.5 and 15 ms immediately followed by biphasic or monophasic pulses were administered to the tibial nerve; the electrophysiological muscular responses (motor-wave, M-wave) were monitored via electromyogram (EMG) recording from the soleus muscle. The data show that, under the specific studied conditions, DPPs tend to lower the threshold for nerve fiber activation rather than elevating it. DPPs with the same polarity as the leading phase of biphasic stimuli are more effective to increase the sensitivity. This work assesses for the first time the effect of DPPs on biphasic pulses, which are required to achieve charge-balanced stimulation, and it provides guidance on the effect of polarity and intensity to take full advantage of this feature. Graphical abstract In this work, the effect of sub-threshold depolarizing pre-pulses (DPP) is investigated in a setup with transcutaneous electrical stimulation. We found that, within the tested 0-15 ms DPP duration range, the DPPs administered immediately before biphasic pulses proportionally increase the nerve excitability as visible in the M-waves recorded from the soleus muscle. Interestingly, these findings oppose published results, where DPPs, administered immediately before monophasic stimuli via implanted electrodes, led to decrease of nerve excitability.

[EN] Electrical bio-impedance measurements were conducted on local strawberry fruits. A non-destructive device was designed to obtain the impedance spectrum of the whole fruit. Four electrical variables were tested: low frequency resistor R0 (related to extracellular resistances), the high frequency resistor R∞ (related to intracellular resistances), and constant phase element (magnitude and phase, related to the membrane capacitances and heterogeneity, respectively). In parallel with the electrical bio-impedance measurement, color and firmness were correlated to the ripeness stage. The results indicated that the strawberries at the highest stage of ripeness had significantly lower constant phase element and R0 values., The authors would like to express their gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Abraham from Irapuato, Mexico for providing the fruits, and to Mr. Juan Manuel Noriega from the University of Guanajuato for his technical support. The authors would like to thank the University of Guanajuato for the financial support.

Tesis (Magíster en Desarrollo Curricular y Proyectos Educativos) La investigación consistió en analizar las causas o problemáticas que afectan la Comprensión Lectora en el nivel de 1° medio del Centro Educacional Piamartino Carolina Llona de Cuevas, en relación a lo que opinan estudiantes y docentes del departamento de lenguaje, cotejando los datos con Resultados de Evaluaciones Estandarizadas. El marco metodológico de la investigación correspondió a un enfoque cuantitativo y no experimental transaccional. Además, el tipo de estudio fue exploratorio-descriptivo. El total de estudiantes encuestados correspondió a 98 alumnos que aceptaron colaborar con la investigación, de los cuales 59 eran niñas y 39 varones. Además, su rango etario fluctúa entre los 14 y 17 años. Los alumnos han permanecido en el establecimiento entre 1 y 5 años representado en un 53% de los estudiantes que accedieron a responder la encuesta. Los docentes encuestados pertenecen al departamento de Lenguaje los cuales tienen entre 6 y 10 años de ejercicio docente, representado en un 50%, proveniente de las Universidades de Chile, USACH y UMCE. En relación a la comprensión lectora, un 50% de ellos declara, que promueve la lectura en todas sus clases, durante los tres momentos (inicio, desarrollo y cierre), indican en un 75% enseñar técnicas de lectura activa, pero también establecen en un 75% que deben trabajar en estimular la motivación por la lectura. Por otra parte, los estudiantes tras sus respuestas develan la necesidad de ser acompañados por sus profesores de forma sistemática en el proceso lector, requerir estrategias cognitivas y metacognitivas, poder elegir textos complementarios y ser apoyados con guías de avance de comprensión lectora. En cuanto a los instrumentos evaluativos fue difícil establecer relaciones de consecuencia, debido a que los estudiantes son capaces de responder preguntas de orden superior, pero erran en preguntas de corte menor en cuanto niveles taxonómicos como extraer información explícita e implícita, por tanto, no se pudo establecer una relación entre las dificultades manifestadas por los estudiantes en relación a las evaluaciones estandarizadas, ya que estas pudieron ser contestadas al azar. Debido a todo lo anterior, es que se propone una intervención metodológica y se entrega una propuesta de mejoramiento, mediante capacitaciones que tienen como objetivo instalar nuevas estrategias metodológicas en todos los docentes en relación al trabajo con la comprensión lectora y, en especial, para el departamento de lenguaje, con el objetivo de involucrar a los estudiantes en su proceso lector permitiéndoles a estos elegir textos complementarios y guiarlos a través de guías de autoaprendizaje.

The presence of vegetation modifies flow and sediment transport in alluvial channels and hence the morphological evolution of river systems. Plants increase the local roughness, modify flow patterns and provide additional drag, decreasing the bed-shear stress and enhancing local sediment deposition. For this, it is important to take into account the presence of vegetation in morphodynamic modelling. Models describing the effects of vegetation on water flow and sediment transport already exist, but comparative analyses and validations on extensive datasets are still lacking. In order to provide practical information for modelling purposes, we analysed the performance of a large number of models on flow resistance, vegetation drag, vertical velocity profiles and bed-shear stresses in vegetated channels. Their assessments and applicability ranges are derived by comparing their predictions with measured values from a large dataset for different types of submerged and emergent vegetation gathered from the literature. The work includes assessing the performance of the sediment transport capacity formulae of Engelund and Hansen and van Rijn in the case of vegetated beds, as well as the value of the drag coefficient to be used for different types of vegetation and hydraulic conditions. The results provide a unique comparative overview of existing models for the assessment of the effects of vegetation on morphodynamics, highlighting their performances and applicability ranges. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the messenger ribonucleic acid expression of leptin (L-mRNA) and the leptin receptor (OB-RmRNA) in subcutaneous fat tissue and to determine their relationship with leptin and testosterone and steroid serum levels over the course of the menstrual cycle (MC), in obese (OBW) and non-obese women (NOW). DESIGN: Observational study investigating mRNA transcript expression of leptin and the leptin receptor from human subcutaneous fat specimens, as well as leptin serum levels, both in relation to the testosterone and sex hormones during the MC in obese and non-obese women. METHODS: Nineteen women, thirteen with a body mass index (BMI) > 25 Kg/m2 and 6 with BMI 2 were included. RT-PCR was used to detect L-mRNA transcripts of leptin and its receptor in samples from 28 fat biopsies taken from seven volunteers (20 from OW and 8 from NOW). The serum concentrations of leptin and steroid hormones were measured throughout the MC using radioinmuno analysis. RESULTS: The percentages of women expressing leptin L-mRNA during the phases of the MC were: early follicular (EF), 14.3%; late follicular (LF), 28.6%; early luteal (EL), 14.3%; and late luteal (LL), 42.9%. The percentages of OB-RmRNA were: EF, 71.4%; LF, 14.3%; EL, 28.6%; and LL, 71.4%. Leptin serum levels were directly related to BMI (p < 0.001), and testosterone (p < 0.001) and indirectly to SHBG (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The L-mRNA expression and its receptor in subcutaneous human tissue are regulated throughout the MC in a periodic manner. The physiological role of testosterone in regulation of expression L-mRNA and OB-RmRNA during the secretory phase of the MC in obese women requires further investigation.

The paper presents a home-made 3d scanner, consisting of off-the-shelf components: a camera and a projector. It is intended for monitoring dynamics of riverbed mophology observed under laboratory conditions in a flume, which is currently under construction. Special attention is paid to satisfying high requirements concerning accuracy and precision despite a compact and versatile setup of the system. Preliminary results are shown.

A model resulting from principal component analysis and assessment based on surface resonant peak of UV-VIS spectrum to determine the diameter of gold nanoparticles is presented in this paper. Six different diameters were analyzed by using the absorption spectra in the range from 400 nm to 700 nm. Commercial TED-PELLA gold colloid nanoparticles with diameters between 20 nm and 80 nm were measured. Preliminary results suggest the usefulness that this model may have on the characterization of nanostructured materials in colloidal suspension, as well as its application in manufacturing protocols standardization of nanoparticles.

El proposito de este estudio fue comparar la frecuencia de alteraciones del estado de animo de los trabajadores masculinos y femeninos maduros. Tambien se intento demostrar la relacion de los sintomas con algunos aspectos psicologicos como la autoestima de los voluntarios (AE), la satisfaccion marital (SM) y las actitudes hacia la sexualidad (AHS). Materiales y metodos: En un diseno transversal, se determina la frecuencia de la depresion, la ansiedad, los sintomas no especificos de la depresion (SNED), MS, y los sentimientos de sindrome del nido vacio (SSNV) en 103 hombres y 129 mujeres de 40 a 64 anos de edad. Depresion, los SNED y la ansiedad fueron evaluados segun los criterios DSM-III-R calificados con la prueba de Bech-Rafaelsen Hamilton. La AE se evaluo con la prueba Coopersmith, AHS y SSNV con un cuestionario previamente validado y SM con la prueba de seleccion De Weiss. Las mujeres se dividieron en funcion de su ultimo periodo menstrual en pre, peri y postmenopausicas. Resultados: Los resultados demostraron que el SSNV fue mas frecuente en mujeres que en varones (p = 0,03). Las mujeres perimenopausicas tuvieron mayor frecuencia de depresion, ansiedad y SNED que los hombres y las mujeres pre y posmenopausicas. La AE fue asociada positivamente con alteraciones del estado de animo en el trabajo masculino y femenino. En los hombres, la MS estuvo significativamente asociada con SSNV y con la depresion y los SNED en las mujeres perimenopausicas. Conclusiones: Llegamos a la conclusion de que las alteraciones del estado de animo son mas frecuentes en las mujeres que en los hombres maduros. Tambien hemos demostrado que en las mujeres maduras una pobre AE podria ser un factor de riesgo para el desarrollo de problemas del estado de animo. En ambos, hombres maduros y mujeres posmenopausicas, la MS juega un papel importante en la aparicion de SSNV.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a widely used technique for clinical diagnostic, treatment, and research. Normally, it applies charge-balanced biphasic pulses, which several publications have reported to be less efficient than monophasic pulses. A good alternative is the use of interphase intervals (IPI) on biphasic pulses that allows to achieve similar responses than those evoked by monophasic stimulation. This study analyzes the enhancing mechanism of the IPI and provides guidelines on how to optimize the IPI in order to reduce secondary effects such as the electrode corrosion. The tibial nerve was excited by NMES biphasic pulses with different IPI durations and polarities. Then, the elicited responses were recorded on the soleus muscle via electromyography. When cathodic-first pulses were applied, the responses increased proportionally to the IPI until the duration of 250 µs, where the increase saturated at 30% of the original amplitude. The responses evoked during anodic-first were 6% to 30% smaller than those evoked during cathodic-first pulses and continuously increased until the IPI duration of 2500 µs, where the responses reached an increase of around 30%. The results suggest that when a cathodic-first pulse is used, the IPI could be optimized (based on the setup geometry) to allow the action potentials to travel out of the hyperpolarization zone induced by the anodic phase. When anodic-first stimuli are applied, the IPI duration allows the fiber to recover from an apparent insensitive state induced by the anodic phase. The use of IPI is a viable option to improve the efficiency of actual stimulation systems, since only small modifications are required to significantly reduce the electrical charge required and boost the stimulation efficiency.

Riparian vegetation actively interacts with fluvial systems affecting river hydrodynamics, morphodynamics and groundwater. These interactions can be coupled because both vegetation and hydromorphology (i.e. the combined scientific study of hydrology and fluvial geomorphology) involve dynamic processes with similar temporal and spatial scales. To predict and assess the consequences of restoration measures, maintenance operations or human pressures in rivers, managers and planners may wish to model these interactions considering the different and interdisciplinary implications in the fields of ecology, geomorphology and hydrology. In this paper, we review models that are currently available and that incorporate the processes that relate riparian vegetation to hydromorphology. The models that are considered include those emphasizing hydraulic-geomorphological processes (such as flow resistance, sediment transport and bank dynamics) as well as those emphasizing ecological processes (seed dispersal, plant survival, growth, succession and mortality). Models interpreting the coupled evolution between riparian vegetation and river morphology and groundwater are also presented. The aim is to provide an overview of current modelling capabilities and limitations and to identify future modelling challenges.

In this work we employ the resonant ultrasound spectroscopy technique in time-domain to perform an explorative geometrical study of bone phantoms. We measured a set of acrylic tubes of equal length but with different internal diameters in order to make a first step study related to the decrease in wall thickness due to osteoporosis process in human bones. We considered the spectra obtained with the sample subjected to pressure and their development to the free body resonance frequency spectra.

Este documento es el resultado de la recopilación de cinco años de vida laboral luego de egresar de las aulas universitarias. En este tiempo he participado en la propuesta, diseño y desarrollo de más de 50 proyectos con más de 600 000 m2 de área proyectada, principalmente en proyectos de inversión privada, que me han permitido conocer de cerca la producción arquitectónica de nuestra ciudad, y adquirir la experiencia y las herramientas para desenvolverme en el mundo laboral globalizado. Desde el desarrollo de estos proyectos, he podido constatar que el diseño de los proyectos privados puede abarcar desde una pequeña vivienda para iniciar una vida matrimonial, o un pequeño edificio de viviendas para iniciar una inmobiliaria, hasta un centro comercial con tiendas y grandes torres de oficinas. Los inversionistas quieren lograr, ver y sentir en un proyecto, la mejor inversión que pueden haber realizado. En cualquier instancia en que se desenvuelva la inversión siempre se busca generar mayor riqueza, pero como profesionales arquitectos es importante el aporte humano que le demos a estos proyectos y aprovechemos la inversión privada para generar el desarrollo de nuestras ciudades. This document is the result of the compilation of five years of life work after graduating of the Classroom University. At this time I have participated in the proposal, design and development of more than 50 projects with more than 600 000m2 of projected area, mainly in private investment projects, which have allowed me to learn about the architectural production in our city and acquire the experience and the tools to deal with the globalised world of work. Since the development of these projects, I have noticed that the design of private projects can range from a small house to start a married life, or a small residential building to start a real estate company, to a mall with shops and large office towers. Investors want to achieve, see and feel in a project the best investment that can be mad. In any instance in which to unfold the investment always seeks to generate greater wealth, but the human contribution that we give to these projects and use private investment to boost the development of our cities is important as professional architects. Trabajo de suficiencia profesional

This paper presents the morphodynamic effects of riparian vegetation growth in a lowland restored stream. Hydrological series, high-resolution bathymetric data and aerial photographs are combined in the study. The vegetation root system was found to assert a strong control on soil stabilization, even during the winter season when plants are dead or degraded. Seasonal variations in plant biomass appear important only during the first stages of establishment, when vegetation has a low density and, more importantly, a root system that is not fully developed yet.

There is rising awareness of the need to include the effects of vegetation in studies dealing with the morphological response of rivers. Vegetation growth on river banks and floodplains alters the river bed topography, reduces the bank erosion rates and enhances the development of new floodplains through river bank accretion. The role of riparian vegetation on river morphology is examined in this thesis, with particular attention to its effects on bank accretion, focusing on lowland streams in temperate climates. The work is based on the combination of extensive literature review, small- and large-scale laboratory experiments, field observations and numerical simulations in order to overcome the shortcomings of single approaches. The results of the study demonstrated that vegetation is essential for the accretion of river banks in non-clay dominated environments, highlighting the role of the colonization of new deposits by plants, which is strongly influenced by the hydrologic regime. Vegetation establishment plays a key role on the stabilization of the channel-width and on the vertical accretion of both levees and floodplains. The vertical accretion and channel incision induced by colonizing plants showed that vegetation colonization increases the amplitude and length of the bars in the main channel, affecting the final river planform. The outcomes of this research emphasize the relevance of considering the effects of vegetation on the river management and on the designing, planning and maintenance programs of restoration projects. To advance in the understanding of the dynamics of river banks, future research is also recommended on quantifying of the role of root systems and fine sediments on the reinforcement and consolidation processes of soils.

The use of ultrasound equipment in routine clinical evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract is still standby. Objective: to show an alternative application of ultrasound technique for monitoring peristalsis and gastric emptying through an executable routine implemented in LabVIEW. Methods: an ultrasound equipment (Medison SONACE 800 SE) was used in ten healthy subjects and four patients; dominant peristalsis frequency and gastric emptying were measured after fasting nights of the patients; subjects ingested, first 300 mL of water and then a solid meal (240 kCal). Results: the video acquisition in M mode and imaging processing were performed in a LabVIEW platform, as long as digital signal processing was carried out in matlab 2008a; peristaltic frequency of 2.4 cpm (cycles per minute) and a half time of the gastric emptying around 35 s were found. Discussion: these findings are congruent with similar evaluations of GI tract obtained by using the gold standard technique. So, ultrasound technique is now an alternative procedure for gastric evaluation with the advantage that patients are free of ionizing radiation, and these equipments are amply available in the world hospitals.

Gastric motility (GM) has been assessed using bio-impedance (BI) techniques in the time domain using short term recordings and analyzing mainly the median of the area under the fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectra. The BI technique has been applied to the gastric system mainly for gastric emptying (GE) studies. However, gastric motility evaluation using BI has not been fully implemented. In this study, we propose the use of the BI technique for the evaluation of gastric motility considering global features of the fast FFT spectra. The study was performed in eleven healthy subjects who were evaluated in fasting and postprandial conditions. The results indicate that the use of the median of the area under the FFT spectra is equivalent to the use of the main peak of the spectra to determine the changes in gastric motility from the fasting to the postprandial state. This demonstrates that BI is a valid technique for gastric motility evaluation in short time recordings.

The open photoacoustic cell technique was used to measure tomato leaves from plants with and without mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus fasciculatum). Based on measurement of the photobaric contribution of the photoacoustic signal, the exponential parameter of the diffusion behavior for this contribution was calculated. From this value, the oxygen diffusion coefficient was derived. The changes in the oxygen- diffusion-coefficient-dependent exponential parameter are statistically significant (p < 0.05) and are consistent with the expected benefits of mycorrhizal symbiosis. Potentially similar results obtained from the photothermal contribution are discussed.

The metrological aspects related to the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio of the auto-normalized front pyroelectric technique for the measurement of thermal effusivity in liquids are investigated. The effect of the thermally thick approximation in the theoretical expressions for the photopyroelectric signal and its effect on the sensitivity of the technique are discussed. It is shown that the sensitivity of the technique decreases with frequency. In contrast, the signal-to-noise ratio increases for higher frequencies.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is an established method for functional restoration of muscle function, rehabilitation, and diagnostics. In this work, NMES was applied with surface electrodes placed on the anterior thigh to identify the main differences between current-controlled (CC) and voltage-controlled (VC) modes. Measurements of the evoked knee extension force and the myoelectric signal of quadriceps and hamstrings were taken during stimulation with different amplitudes, pulse widths, and stimulation techniques. The stimulation pulses were rectangular and symmetric biphasic for both stimulation modes. The electrode-tissue impedance influences the differences between CC and VC stimulation. The main difference is that for CC stimulation, variation of pulse width and amplitude influences the amount of nerve depolarization, whereas VC stimulation is only dependent on amplitude variations for pulse widths longer than 150 μs. An important remark is that these findings are strongly dependent on the characteristics of the electrode-skin interface. In our case, we used large stimulation electrodes placed on the anterior thigh, which cause higher capacitive effects. The controllability, voltage compliance, and charge characteristics of each stimulation technique should be considered during the stimulators design. For applications that require the activation of a large amount of nerve fibers, VC is a more suitable option. In contrast, if the application requires a high controllability, then CC should be chosen prior to VC.

Multitud d'autores i autors aporten píndoles de microliteratura, de gèneres diversos, al tercer volum amb què l'Institut Universitari d'Estudis Feministes i de Gènere Purificación Escribano vol respondre al desafiament per l'eradicació de la violència contra les dones. Tercer desafío por la erradicación de la violencia contra las mujeres del Institut Universitari d'Estudis Feministes i de Gènere Purificación Escribano de la Universitat Jaume I a través de microliteratura.

Experimental work in river morphology has already become a key factor to assess and analyze physical and numerical models that describe bed-level evolution in channels (Paola et al, 2009). Different techniques could be used to measure bed topography in laboratories ranging from traditional to high-technology methods. In this work, the structured light methodology applied through a Camera-Projector 3D scanner is presented as an accurate and low-cost alternative for this purpose.

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation can depolarize nerve or muscle cells applying impulses through electrodes attached on the skin. For these applications, the electrode-skin impedance is an important factor which influences effectiveness. Various models describe the interface using constant or current-depending resistive-capacitive equivalent circuit. Here, we develop a dynamic impedance model valid for a wide range stimulation intensities. The model considers electroporation and charge-dependent effects to describe the impedance variation, which allows to describe high-charge pulses. The parameters were adjusted based on rectangular, biphasic stimulation pulses generated by a stimulator, providing optionally current or voltage-controlled impulses, and applied through electrodes of different sizes. Both control methods deliver a different electrical field to the tissue, which is constant throughout the impulse duration for current-controlled mode or have a very current peak for voltage-controlled. The results show a predominant dependence in the current intensity in the case of both stimulation techniques that allows to keep a simple model. A verification simulation using the proposed dynamic model shows coefficient of determination of around 0.99 in both stimulation types. The presented method for fitting electrode-skin impedance can be simple extended to other stimulation waveforms and electrode configuration. Therefore, it can be embedded in optimization algorithms for designing electrical stimulation applications even for pulses with high charges and high current spikes. © 2015 Vargas Luna et al.

Mycorrhiza, a common association between root plants and mycorrhizic fungus provides some benefits to the plant, improving its nutrient uptake and increasing the drought resistance as well as the photosynthetic rate. Open photoacoustic (OPC) cell technique was used here to study oxygen evolution from C3 plants (tomato) with and with mycorrhizic fungus (Glomus Fasciculatum) under the lighting conditions similar to those characteristic for the mid-day sunlight. The OPC was found capable of discriminating between the two contributions to photoacoustic signal. The experimental evidence was collected for statistically significant differences between photobaric signals from plants with and without mycorrhiza.

The thermal diffusivity and thermal expansion coefficient of teeth and three of their most common restorative materials (Amalgam Phase Alloy, Ionomer Fuji II LC, and Resin 3MFPITEK Lutine TMZ250) were studied by means of the open photoacoustic technique. These results were then used as a basis for the theoretical simulation of the photothermal process taking place as a consequence of modulated illumination of a two-layer system formed by the tooth and the restorative material. The model accounts for the coupling of thermal waves and thermoelastic vibration in the two-layer system.