Search

Thinning is an expensive and time-consuming management practice used in peach orchards to improve resource distribution among plants and improve production quality. Determining the right time and intensity for thinning is challenging and involves expertise. Furthermore, it generally consumes many hours of work, which makes, in some cases, unfeasible to analyze an entire orchard. For this reason, information that can assist in making making decisions about thinning can improve the cost–benefit ratio of the technique. To mitigate these problems, an electronic nose system, the e-nose, that explores the relationship between the smell of peach trees outdoors and the different growth phases was developed. Twenty-two composed volatile samples were collected from around peach trees (open environment) during its reproductive period (around 39 days) and five supervised machine learning classification algorithms (k-nearest neighbors (KNN), multilayer perceptron (MLP), random forest (RF), logistic regression (LR), and support vector machine (SMV)) were used to analyze the data, to evaluate the possibility of estimating phenological stages from odor environment. The result showed that all models achieved a balanced accuracy greater than 97.5%. As a secondary contribution, the importance of sensors was also analyzed for this application, and a combination of three sensors achieved a classification rate of 100% with the KNN classifier. The e-nose system was successful in distinguishing between petal drop, initial fruit formation, advanced fruit formation, and formed fruit. These results demonstrate the potential of using an electronic nose in a remote system to assist in decision-making in orchard practices as thinning.

The realization of higher coupling strengths between coupled resonant modes enables exploration of compelling phenomena in diverse fields of physics and chemistry. In this study, we focus on the modal coupling between localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au nanoparticles (Au-NPs) and Fabry–Pérot mode (p-NiO/Au film). The effects of nanoparticle size, projected surface coverage (PSC), interparticle distance (IPD), and arrangement to the coupling strength between the two modes are theoretically investigated using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Au-NPs/p-NiO/Au film (ANA) nanostructures with NPs size of 10 nm, 30 nm, and 50 nm are considered. Numerical calculations point to larger size and higher projected surface coverage (also smaller IPD) of NPs as pre-eminent factors in enhancing the strength of modal coupling. ANA nanostructure with NPs size of 30 nm (ANA-30) and 50 nm (ANA-50) are experimentally fabricated via a facile air–liquid interface self-assembly. The fabricated nanodevices exhibit immense Rabi splitting energies of 655 meV (ANA-30) and 770 meV (ANA-50), and thus fulfill the ultrastrong coupling condition with remarkable splitting energy to bare (plasmon) energy ratio of 0.35 (ANA-30) and 0.4 (ANA-50). The physical insights presented in this study, together with the simple and scalable fabrication process, establish a viable approach to realize stronger coupling between LSPR and Fabry–Pérot mode in metal NPs/dielectric/metal film systems. This will be vital to take advantage of the promising performance enhancements of plasmonic-based nanostructures under strongly coupled regimes in areas such as solar to fuel conversion, sensing, opto-electronics, and quantum applications.

The FLUKA Monte Carlo code has recently undergone significant enhancements, driven by needs from its user community. Key improvements are discussed, such as a new point-wise treatment for the interactions of low-energy neutrons, the incorporation of a new model for nuclear elastic scattering of protons below 250 MeV, explicit generation of synchrotron radiation photons during charged particle tracking, a revised modeling approach for coherent effects in bent crystals, and the addition of arc-DPA scoring. While improving and extending FLUKA physics performance is essential, it is equally important to ensure the long-term maintainability of the codebase. This paper also outlines the strategy and substantial progress in evolving FLUKA to meet this objective. The FLUKA features are being translated into a new codebase, fulfilling essential criteria such as continuity in the user experience and compatibility with existing inputs, thus laying the foundation for a new FLUKA generation. The codebase makes use of the Geant4 toolkit when appropriate. Additionally, the enhanced collaboration with Geant4 has resulted in the development of an interface, detailed in this paper, that enables access to the FLUKA hadronic models from any Geant4 application.

Jéssica Rodrigues Orlandin,1 Ingrid da Silva Gomes,1 Shamira de Fátima Sallum Leandro,1 Artur Fuertes Cagnim,1 Juliana Barbosa Casals,1 Adriano Bonfim Carregaro,1 Silvio Henrique Freitas,1 Luciana Cristina Machado,1 Maria Cristina Reis Castiglioni,2 Ana Liz Garcia Alves,2 Vânia Maria de Vasconcelos Machado,2 Carlos Eduardo Ambrósio1 1Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA-USP), University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, São Paulo, BrazilCorrespondence: Carlos Eduardo Ambrósio Email ceambrosio@usp.brIntroduction: Intervertebral disc diseases (IVDD) represent the majority of neurological attendance and responsible for the most cases of paralysis in dogs. Treatments currently used do not show satisfactory results in patients with more severe and chronic neurological manifestations.Methods: To promote nerve and muscular recovery, as well as improve quality of life, we aimed to create a double-blind test method, associating spinal decompression surgery and allogeneic transplantation of amniotic membrane-derived stem cells (AMSCs) in dogs with chronic IVDD. Cells were characterized as fetal mesenchymal cells and safe for application. Eight animals completed the experiment: stem cell applications were made in four animals that had previously undergone an unsuccessful surgical procedure (“SC group”, n = 4); two animals were submitted to surgery, followed by applications of stem cells (“Surgery + SC”, n = 2); two other animals were submitted to surgery, followed by the application of saline solution (“Surgery + placebo”, n = 2). During the surgical procedure, a topical application was performed on the lesion and after fifteen and forty-five days another two applications were made via epidural. Animals were monitored biweekly and reassessed three months after surgery, by functional tests and magnetic resonance exams.Results: Some animals presented significant neurological improvement, such as the recovery of nociception and ability to remain on station. Despite the need further studies, until the present moment, cell therapy has been feasible and has no harmful effects on animals.Conclusion: The protocol of preclinical trial showed the association with decompressive surgery and cell transplantation in dogs with thoracolumbar IVDD proved feasible, and it was possible to observe neurological improvement after treatment. No tissue improvement through MRI was found. The double-blind test guaranteed reliability of the evaluations and results obtained that, even with a small sample size, generated satisfactory results for the animals and owners.Keywords: cell therapy, spinal cord injury, discopathy, amnion, regenerative medicine

La norma ISO 15189:2012 exige una serie de requisitos en cuanto a la gestión de muestras clínicas, el aseguramiento de la calidad del proceso y la gestión de la información del laboratorio. Además, la entidad acreditadora, ENAC en España, tiene establecidas las condiciones para el uso de la marca en el informe de resultados del laboratorio acreditado. Las recomendaciones planteadas aplican a las actividades incluidas en el proceso posanalítico del laboratorio, así como al personal implicado. Se indican los criterios para que el laboratorio defina y documente el tiempo y las condiciones de retención de las muestras, para diseñar un control de calidad interno que verifique si las actividades posanalíticas alcanzan la calidad esperada, los requisitos que debe cumplir la gestión de la información y la necesidad de disponer de un plan de contingencia que asegure la comunicación de los resultados en todo momento. Asimismo, se describe el uso correcto de la marca de acreditación en los informes. Diversos gobiernos y sociedades científicas abogan por la obligatoriedad de la acreditación de los laboratorios clínicos. Siendo la norma ISO 15189 la más específica para demostrar su competencia técnica, es indispensable el conocimiento y la comprensión de sus requisitos para su correcta implantación.

ISO 15189:2012 establishes the requirements for clinical sample management, ensuring quality of process and laboratory information management. The accreditation authority, ENAC in Spain, established the requirements for the authorized use of the label in reports issued by accredited laboratories. These recommendations are applicable to the postanalytical processes and the professionals involved. The Standard requires laboratories to define and document the duration and conditions of sample retention. Laboratories are also required to design an internal quality control scheme to verify whether postanalytical activities attain the expected standards. Information management requirements are also established and laboratories are required to design a contingency plan to ensure the communication of laboratory results. Instructions are finally provided about the correct use of the accreditation label in laboratory reports. A range of nations and scientific societies support that clinical laboratories should be required to obtain accreditation. With ISO 15189 being the most specific standard for demonstrating technical performance, a clear understanding of its requirements is essential for proper implementation.

The objective of this paper is to share some considerations about the management of postanalytical processes in relation to the review, reporting and release of test results in accordance with UNE-EN ISO 15189:2013 Standard requirements. The scope of this paper includes postanalytical activities and the personnel involved (laboratory management and staff). We describe the criteria and information required to review and validate analytical results and ensure that clear reports are sent to requesters. These criteria also guarantee that results are transcribed in a reliable way and that all necessary information is provided for the correct interpretation of results. Likewise, the requirements for the correct release of laboratory results are described, with special emphasis on the release of alarming or critical results. In some European countries, clinical laboratories are required to hold partial or full ISO 15189 accreditation, which is a global trend. Therefore, understanding ISO 15189 requirements is imperative for a progressive and more effective implementation of the Standard.

El objeto de este trabajo es establecer unas consideraciones para facilitar la gestión del proceso posanalítico respecto a la revisión, notificación y comunicación de los resultados, de acuerdo con los requisitos de la Norma UNE-EN ISO 15189:2013. El ámbito de aplicación incluye las actividades del proceso posanalítico del laboratorio clínico, así como el personal implicado en él (dirección y personal del laboratorio). Se indican los criterios y la información necesaria para realizar la revisión y validación de los resultados de las pruebas analíticas y así enviar a los destinatarios informes claros, asegurando siempre una transcripción fidedigna de los resultados e incluyendo toda la información necesaria para su correcta interpretación. Asimismo, se describen los requisitos para una correcta comunicación de los resultados del laboratorio, haciendo especial hincapié en la comunicación de aquellos resultados alarmantes o críticos. En algunos países de Europa es obligatoria la acreditación, total o parcial, de los laboratorios clínicos, siguiendo la Norma ISO 15189 y esta parece ser la hoja de ruta marcada en otros muchos países. Por ello, es indispensable la comprensión de sus requisitos para realizar una implementación progresiva y más fácil.

El presente artículo versa sobre el uso de metodologías basadas en las TIC; más concretamente, sobre la gamificación como elemento generador de motivación en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en un contexto universitario japonés para la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera. Método: se realizó un estudio de carácter mixto (cuasiexperimental y transversal) aplicado a dos grupos de estudiantes (grupo control y experimental). Se partió de la hipótesis de que la aplicación de técnicas gamificadas provocaría un aumento de la motivación entre el alumnado y, por consiguiente, una mejora del rendimiento académico. Conclusiones: uno de los principales objetivos de la investigación era el de delimitar las mecánicas y plasmarlas en un curso gamificado y replicarlas en nuestra práctica docente, ya que según los resultados obtenidos queda demostrado que de esta forma se genera un mayor compromiso e implicación en los alumnos. GAMIFICATION PROJECT IN JAPANESE HIGHER EDUCATION FOR SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE This paper discusses and highlights the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT); more precisely showing gamification as a motivational generator element, in a Japanese university context, for teaching Spanish as a foreign language. The method: the investigative approach is a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) This quasi-experimental and cross-cutting design study was applied to two student groups (experimental and control groups). The working hypothesis is that as a result of the implementation of gamification strategies and techniques to a course through LMS (Blended Learning) for teaching Spanish, motivation and academic performance will increase among students. In conclusion: one of the main goals of this article is to frame and enclose the main mechanics of gamification, and apply them into our daily teaching. According to the data obtained, it is therefore apparent that we achieve a higher commitment and better involvement from our students.

José Luis Lázaro Martínez, Yolanda García Álvarez, Aroa Tardáguila-García, Esther García MoralesInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid 28040, SpainPurpose: Diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) is the most frequent infection associated with diabetic foot ulcers, occurs in >20% of moderate infections and 50%–60% of severe infections, and is associated with high rates of amputation. DFO represents a challenge in both diagnosis and therapy, and many consequences of its condition are related to late diagnosis, delayed referral, or ill-indicated treatment. This review aimed to analyze the current evidence on DFO management and to discuss advantages and disadvantages of different treatment options.Methods: A narrative review of the evidence was begun by searching Medline and PubMed databases for studies using the keywords “management”, “diabetic foot”, “osteomyelitis”, and “diabetic foot osteomyelitis” from 2008 to 2018.Results: We found a great variety of studies focusing on both medical and surgical therapies showing a similar rate of effectiveness and outcomes; however, the main factors in choosing one over the other seem to be associated with the presence of soft-tissue infection or ischemia and the clinical presentation of DFO.Conclusion: Further randomized controlled trials with large samples and long-term follow-up are necessary to demonstrate secondary outcomes, such as recurrence, recurrent ulceration, and reinfection associated with both medical and surgical options.Keywords: diabetic foot, diabetic foot infection, bone infection, diabetic foot ulcers

The Space Weather station at the University of Alcala (UAH-STA) is a place for instrumentation that is able to produce useful products and services even in a worst case scenario (when power grid and/or communications have been compromised), assuring the access of critical data to decision-makers and consequently, increasing the confidence to take actions. The current development consists of an antenna to monitor ionospheric disturbances through the reception of very low frequency waves and a magnetometer to indicate the geomagnetic disturbances caused by sources external to the Earth. This work shows the development of both instruments and some examples of ionospheric and geomagnetic events recorded by both of them. This project serves also as a success story of using space weather as a teaching tool due to the involvement of undergraduate students at their final stage of industrial and telecommunication engineering.

The aim, of the study was to estimate the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessing residual disease in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and to identify the clinico-pathological factors that affect the diagnostic accuracy of breast MRI to determine residual tumour size following NAC.

The DESGW group seeks to identify electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave events seen by the LIGO-VIRGO network, such as those expected from binary neutron star mergers or neutron star-black hole mergers. DESGW was active throughout the first two LIGO observing seasons, following up several binary black hole mergers and the first binary neutron star merger, GW170817. This work describes the modifications to the observing strategy generation and image processing pipeline between the second (ending in August 2017) and third (beginning in April 2019) LIGO observing seasons. The modifications include a more robust observing strategy generator, further parallelization of the image reduction software and difference imaging processing pipeline, data transfer streamlining, and a web page listing identified counterpart candidates that updates in real time. Taken together, the additional parallelization steps enable the identification of potential electromagnetic counterparts within fully calibrated search images in less than one hour, compared to the 3-5 hours it would typically take during the first two seasons. These performance improvements are critical to the entire EM follow-up community, as rapid identification (or rejection) of candidates enables detailed and rapid spectroscopic follow-up by multiple instruments, leading to more information about the environment immediately following such gravitational wave events.

Titanium oxides (TiO2) were synthesized by precipitation of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) using ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH). The synthesized materials were characterized by means of nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, U.V.-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and the photocatalytic activity of the samples were measured by the degradation of the methyl orange. By means of this synthesis method we have doped the titanium oxide structure with nitrogen (N-TiO2), stabilizing the anatase phase and obtaining mesoporous and nanocrystalline materials. The titanium oxide with higher specific surface area (132 m2/g) degraded the azo-compound to 100% in 180 min of reaction.Se sintetizaron óxidos de titanio (TiO2) a partir de la precipitación del tetracloruro de titanio (TiCl4) con hidróxido de amonio (NH4OH). Los materiales sintetizados se caracterizaron mediante fisisorción de nitrógeno, difracción de rayos X, espectroscopía infrarroja, reflectancia difusa U.V.-visible y la actividad fotocatalítica de los mismos se evaluó en la degradación del naranja de metilo. Mediante el método de síntesis se logró dopar la estructura del óxido de titanio con nitrógeno (N-TiO2), estabilizando la fase anatasa y obteniéndose materiales catalíticos mesoporosos y nanocristalinos. El óxido de titanio de mayor área específica (132 m2/g) degradó el azo-colorante al 100% en 180 minutos de reacción.

Las excavaciones arqueológicas realizadas en la fortaleza más renombrada de los reyes de Asturias, el castillo de Gauzón, desde el año 2007 han proporcionado un compendio de informaciones y datos que abren nuevas perspectivas sobre el origen de las fortificaciones altomedievales asturianas. El conjunto de dataciones de C14 , sumado al análisis estructural del yacimiento, a los materiales, a su cotejo con la prolífica documentación escrita y con los estudios previos de otros autores, permiten desarrollar en esta primera síntesis un discurso sobre el proceso de feudalización en Europa expresado en la cultura material de los castillos.

Objetivo: analizar el proceso de la gestión de datos en una situación de emergencia desde su vertiente comunicativa, tanto en relación con la coordinación interna de los responsables de gestionar la emergencia como con la comunicación hacia la ciudadanía. --Metodología: estudio de caso (los fuegos del Alt Empordà en Cataluña) con un enfoque cualitativo. La obtención y análisis de datos consiste en: a) entrevistas en profundidad a responsables de la gestión de la emergencia, b) análisis de documentación oficial con relación a los planes de acción, protocolos y políticas de comunicación y c) análisis de datos generados durante la emergencia: comunicados internos, informes de seguimiento de los planes oficiales, cortes de voz y comunicados a la población enviados desde el perfil de Twitter@emergenciescat de la Dirección general de Protección Civil de la Generalidad de Cataluña. -- Resultados: los responsables de coordinar la gestión de emergencias, en este caso de los fuegos del Alt Empordà en Cataluña, han tenido que gestionar una gran variedad de actores y una gran diversidad de datos procedentes de diferentes fuentes para cumplir con su responsabilidad. El estudio pone de manifiesto dos elementos que han sido capitales para garantizar una gestión de la información eficiente durante el proceso: el protocolo de actuación, Pla INFOCAT y la comunicación hacia la población mediante el perfil de Twitter @emergenciescat. A pesar del éxito de nuestro caso de estudio, los resultados muestran interesantes oportunidades de investigación para avanzar en la gestión de datos en situaciones de emergencia. Objectives: To analyse emergency data management in processes where data is being communicated, either internally between the agents managing an emergency or externally, between agents and the civilian community. -- Methodology: The researchers conducted a qualitative study of fire management in the Catalan region of Alt Empordà. The retrieval and analysis of data consisted in: a) detailed interviews with emergency managers, b) the analysis of the official documentation outlining action plans, procedures and communication policies and c) the analysis of the data generated during an emergency: internal communication, reports on following official plans, public announcement equipment and communication with the civilian community using the Twitter profile @emergenciescat of the Catalan civil defence service the Direcció General de Protecció Civil de la Generalitat de Catalunya. -- Results: The agents needed to manage a wide range of emergency responders and data from many sources in order to discharge their responsibilities. The study shows that during an emergency, two aspects of management are critical: the action plan, which in this case was Pla INFOCAT, and communication with the civilian community, which in this case was directed using the Twitter profile @emergenciescat. In spite of the success of our case study, the results indicate that further research could help improve data management in emergency situations.

Objectiu: analitzar el procés de la gestió de dades en una situació d'emergència des de la seva vessant comunicativa, tant pel que fa a la coordinació interna dels responsables de gestionar l'emergència com a la comunicació vers la ciutadania. -- Metodologia: estudi de cas (els focs de l'Alt Empordà a Catalunya) amb un enfocament qualitatiu. L'obtenció i anàlisi de dades consisteix en: a) entrevistes en profunditat a responsables de la gestió de l'emergència, b) anàlisi de documentació oficial amb relació als plans d'acció, protocols i polítiques de comunicació i c) anàlisi de dades generades durant l'emergència: comunicats interns, informes de seguiment dels plans oficials, talls de veu i comunicats a la població enviats des del perfil de Twitter @emergenciescat de la Direcció General de Protecció Civil de la Generalitat de Catalunya. -- Resultats: els responsables de coordinar la gestió d'emergències, en aquest cas dels focs de l'Alt Empordà a Catalunya, han hagut de gestionar una gran varietat d'actors i una gran diversitat de dades procedents de diferents fonts per complir la seva responsabilitat. L'estudi posa de manifest dos elements que han estat cabdals per garantir una gestió d'informació eficient durant el procés: el protocol d'actuació, Pla INFOCAT i la comunicació vers la població mitjançant el perfil de Twitter @emergenciescat. Malgrat l'èxit del nostre cas d'estudi, els resultats mostren interessants oportunitats de recerca per avançar en la gestió de dades en situacions d'emergència. Objectives: To analyse emergency data management in processes where data is being communicated, either internally between the agents managing an emergency or externally, between agents and the civilian community. -- Methodology: The researchers conducted a qualitative study of fire management in the Catalan region of Alt Empordà. The retrieval and analysis of data consisted in: a) detailed interviews with emergency managers, b) the analysis of the official documentation outlining action plans, procedures and communication policies and c) the analysis of the data generated during an emergency: internal communication, reports on following official plans, public announcement equipment and communication with the civilian community using the Twitter profile @emergenciescat of the Catalan civil defence service the Direcció General de Protecció Civil de la Generalitat de Catalunya. -- Results: The agents needed to manage a wide range of emergency responders and data from many sources in order to discharge their responsibilities. The study shows that during an emergency, two aspects of management are critical: the action plan, which in this case was Pla INFOCAT, and communication with the civilian community, which in this case was directed using the Twitter profile @emergenciescat. In spite of the success of our case study, the results indicate that further research could help improve data management in emergency situations.

This paper focuses on Monte Carlo simulations aimed at calculating the dose response of the RadFET dosimeter, when exposed to the complex CHARM mixed-fields, at CERN. We study how the dose deposited in the gate oxide (SiO2) of the RadFET is affected by the energy threshold variation in the Monte Carlo simulations as well as the materials and sizes of scoring volumes. Also the characteristics of the input spectra will be taken into account and their impact on the final simulated dose will be studied. Dose variation as a function of the position of the RadFET in the test facility will be then examined and comparisons with experimental results will be shown. The contribution to the total dose due to all particles of the mixed-field, under different target-shielding configurations, is finally presented, aiming at a complete characterization of the RadFETs dose response in the CHARM mixed-fields.