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The plant cuticle is defined as the first barrier between the aerial non-lignified organs of land plants and the environment. Some pivotal roles are ascribed to this outermost layer such as acting as support to the plant, protecting it against radiation, pathogens, water loss or mechanical injuries as well as controlling the gas exchange with the surroundings or the proper development of the plant. Although the composition of tomato fruit cuticle has been analysed, the spatial distribution of its components has received little attention. Confocal Raman Microscopy has been employed to locate the microspatial distribution and changes throughout development of different tomato fruit cuticle components. Results have shown the cutin matrix as a homogeneous layer. A combination of uni and multivariate approaches has allowed to selective locate the phenolic acids and flavonoids. Comparison of the cuticle Raman spectra with a reference library has additionally allowed to identify esterified p-coumaric acid and free p-hydroxybenzoic acid as the main phenolic acids present during growth. Both showed a similar distribution during fruit development, mainly located to the outermost layer of the cuticle and within pegs, which changed to a more homogenous distribution of esterified p-coumaric acid during ripening. Changes in flavonoid composition and location were also detected during ripening. Based on the results, we propose three models of spatial location of cuticle components during fruit development. During the earliest stages of development phenolics are homogenously distributed along the whole depth of the cuticle. Further in development, phenolics are restricted to the outermost side of the cuticle and the middle region of the pegs. Finally, during ripening, phenolic acids are located across the entire cuticle and flavonoids started to accumulate displaying a heterogeneous distribution along cuticle width, with a higher accumulation to the inner side. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Proyecto TI2018-094277-B/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 de la Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain cofinnciado por la European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Ana González es beneficiario de la beca con referencia FPU17/0177.

This work is based on the study of the luminiscence properties of isolated tomato fruit cuticles. The green fluorescence that takes place in the ripe stage of development after blue excitation is explained by the presence of naringenin chalcone. It could affect water and chemical transport and mechanical behaviour of the tomato fruit cuticle. Proyecto RTI2018-094277-BC21, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

En el mundo hay alrededor de 7500 millones de personas, de las cuales se calcula que 1300 padecen de algún tipo de discapacidad visual. Según informes publicados por la OMS el 80% de estas discapacidades visuales son evitables, procediendo, el 90% de las mismas de países en vías de desarrollo. La falta de recursos y acceso al sistema sanitario en los países de renta baja alimenta el grado de pobreza y exclusión al que se encuentran sometidos sus habitantes. Es de vital importancia analizar el papel del óptico-optometrista en situaciones de vulnerabilidad y emergencia y cómo puede participar en la mejora de la situación. El proyecto “Visión sin Fronteras”, que da origen a este Trabajo Fin de Grado, nace con el objetivo de apoyar la labor llevada a cabo en el campo de refugiados “Moria” en Mitilene, Lesbos, por la organización Light Without Borders, la cual ofrece asistencia optométrica a las personas que se han visto obligadas a migrar huyendo de la guerra y otras catástrofes buscando asilo y refugio en Europa. Se trata de una iniciativa con la que se consigue demostrar que con el compromiso de la comunidad universitaria, se pueden conseguir avances en la lucha contra las desigualdades sociales. Basado en la puesta en marcha de una campaña de recogida de gafas graduadas, gafas de sol, monturas y fundas en diversas localidades españolas, se ha contribuido a la sostenibilidad de la actividad optométrica y cuidado de la salud visual en el campo de refugiados de Mitilene. Son muchos los beneficios conseguidos tras la creación de dicho proyecto, tales como la facilitación del proceso de escolarización de niños con errores refractivos, como la posibilidad de entrar al mercado laborar de un adulto con problemas visuales, ayudando a mejorar notablemente las sórdidas condiciones en las que se encuentran en dicho campamento. The world population consists of 7500 million people, 1300 of whom have some kind of visual impairment. According to studies published by the World Health Organization, 80% of these visual impairments are preventable and of those 80%, 90% come from developing countries. The lack of resources and access to healthcare in impoverished countries adds to the poverty and exclusion that the population already suffers. It is of vital importance to analise the role of the optometrist in si tuations of vulnerability and emergency and how they can improve the situation. The project “Visión sin Fronteras” from which this thesis originates, was created with the ob jective of supporting the organisation Light Without Borders — an organisation which provides optic aide to refugees fleeing war and catastrophe, who are seeking asylum in Europe. The organisation works primarily in the refugee camp “Moria” in Mitilene, Lesbos. This initia tive shows that with university involvement, advancements can be achieved in the struggle against social inequality. The project consists of collecting donations of glasses with graduated lenses, frames and cases from various regions of Spain. These donations have contributed to sustainable p ractices in optometry in Mor ia. There are many benefits achieved due to this project such as the facilitation of schooling for children with refractive issues and for adults with visual impairments, the ability to enter the job market and notably improving the sordid conditions there are found in current refugee camps Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Óptica y Optometría

La comunicación arriba reseñada ha sido presentado como póster. The plant cuticle is a lipid extracellular membrane which covers the outer surface of leaves, stems and fruits of higher plants acting as a real interphase between the plant and the environment. The cuticle plays a pivotal role in epidermal development, control of water loss, fruit integrity, firmness and resistance to various disorders [1]. From a morphological point of view, the cuticle (Figure 1) can be described as acutinizedepidermal cell wall [2]. Based on its structural and chemical composition, the cuticle is mainly constituted by a polyester matrix of long chainpolyhydroxy fatty acids named cutin. Additionally, a significant amount of polysaccharides (mainly cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin) is also present. Cuticular waxes, a mixture of different very long chain aliphatic compounds, can be either embedded into the cutin matrix (intracuticular waxes) or deposited on the outer surface of the cuticle (epicuticular waxes) [3]. Finally, phenolic compounds (cinnamic acid derivatives and flavonoids) are also present. In tomato, cuticular flavonoids participate in fruit coloration and their presence is influenced by environmental conditions and the stage of development.As it can be observed in Figure 1, the cuticle has an asymmetrical distribution of its components. In its outer surface waxes and aliphatic compounds are very abundant, while the inner surface is rich in polysaccharides from epidermal cell wall. Two parameters have been studied, the esterification index (the ratio between the intensities of the stretching vibration band related to ester functional groups (1730 cm-1) and the stretching vibration associated with methylene groups (2918 cm-1)), which isa relative measure of the cross-linking degree of the cutin matrix, and the amount of flavonoids, calculated as the sum of 1606 cm-1and 1624 cm-1 band areas. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

La superficie de hojas, tallos y frutos de las plantas superiores está cubierta por una membrana de naturaleza principalmente lipídica denominada cutícula. Esta membrana extracelular actúa como auténtica interfase entre la planta y el medio ambiente. La cutícula está constituida esencialmente por una matriz polimérica de ésteres de polihidroxiácidos grasos de cadena larga, conocida con el nombre de cutina. Asociadas a este biopolímero amorfo se encuentran las ceras cuticulares junto con importantes cantidades de polisacáridos y compuestos fenólicos. Dentro de los compuestos fenólicos en el reino vegetal destaca la familia de los flavonoides. Presentan un amplio espectro de funciones biológicas y juegan un papel fundamental en la interacción entre planta y el medio ambiente. En el caso particular del fruto de tomate sólo un pequeño número de ellos se cuantifican en cantidades significativas, estos son, naringenina, chalconaringenina, kaempferol y quercetina. Con el fin de estudiar la disposición in vivo de estos compuestos fenólicos en cutículas de fruto de tomate se han optimizado mediante cálculos DFT (Density Functional Theory) la estructura molecular de monómeros aislados de las moléculas ácido p-cumárico y naringenina en un entorno que mimetice el escenario macromolecular de la cutícula vegetal; estos resultados han sido contrastados con medidas experimentales de difracción de Rayos-X. Asimismo, se ha realizado una interpretación de sus espectros electrónicos y vibracionales Raman tanto desde un punto de vista teórico como experimental, que junto con un estudio de sus orbitales moleculares nos han permitido establecer una primera aproximación sobre la disposición de estas moléculas en el interior del biopolímero amorfo de cutina. Por otra parte se estudió la posibilidad de formación de clusters, agregados moleculares (homodímeros y heterodímeros) diseñados a partir de las geometrías optimizadas de los monómeros de las moléculas implicadas. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el proyecto AGL2015-65246-R del Plan Nacional de I+D Español de MINECO co-financiado por fondos FEDER de la EU