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This work has been supported by the Spanish MICINN through the project CATAD3.0 PID2020-116478RB-I00. In addition, the authors thank the financial support from the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) through the Industrial PhD projects (IND2017/AMB-7720 and IND2019/AMB-17114), REMTAVARES Network (S2018/EMT-4341) and the European Social Fund. MVG also thanks Grant PID2021-125295OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe” and the Junta de Extremadura and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/FEDER), through Grant No. GR21039. The authors are grateful for the Supercomputer facility LUSITANIA funded by CenitS and the Computaex Foundation., Research studies combining the detailed physicochemical properties' analysis, the catalytic activity in different real aqueous matrices, the proposal of degradation mechanisms and the stability of the intermediates/by-products by means of the Density-functional theory (DFT) are scarce. Therefore, this work gives a step forward in the field of circular economy and the removal of emerging pollutants such as the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, covering all the previously aspects mentioned, using four iron and nickel-based catalysts from two different sewage sludge. Experimental results revealed a significant influence of both the source of the sewage sludge and the activating agent used (iron chloride, nickel chloride and a mixture of both) on the physicochemical properties of the materials and, hence, on their catalytic activity. FTIR studies and chemical composition evidenced that the use of this biomass precursor leads to the generation of a wide variety of functional groups and heteroatoms in the synthesized catalyst structure. Moreover, they showed a combination of Type I-IV isotherms with H3-H4 type hysteresis loops, being mainly mesoporous materials and exhibiting a moderate microporosity except when nickel chloride was used solely as activating agent. The carbonaceous materials reached ciprofloxacin adsorption capacities in the range of 40.4–73.9 mg/g. The use of nickel chloride showed the lowest adsorption contribution and catalytic activity. The bimetallic catalyst (synthesized from a mixture of iron and nickel chloride) showed slightly higher catalytic activity than that found for the iron catalyst, but the metal leaching was also considerably higher. Consequently, the use of iron chloride solely as activating agent seems to be the better alternative, achieving a maximum ciprofloxacin removal around 99.7 % and an iron leaching concentration into the reaction medium of 0.48–0.61 mg/L. The main degradation pathways of ciprofloxacin were proposed according to the det, Comunidad de Madrid, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, European Social Fund, Junta de Extremadura, Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de Materiales, Fac. de Ciencias Químicas, TRUE, pub

This work has been supported by the Spanish MICINN through the project CATAD3.0 PID2020–116478RB-I00. In addition, the authors thank the financial support from the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) through the Industrial PhD projects (IND2017/AMB-7720 and IND2019/AMB-17114), REMTAVARES Network (S2018/EMT-4341) and the European Social Fund. MVG also thanks Grant PID2021-125295OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe” and the Junta de Extremadura and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/FEDER), through Grant No. GR21039. The authors are grateful for the Supercomputer facility LUSITANIA funded by CenitS and the Computaex Foundation., In this work, the sewage sludge-derived activated carbon (SAC) loaded with iron nanoparticles (FeSAC) showed a highly effective catalytic activity in the degradation of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin by the CWAO reaction. The properties of FeSAC catalyst were studied by using N2 adsorption-desorption measurements at 77 K, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The CWAO reaction was evaluated at different temperatures (120–140 ºC), total pressure (10–30 bar) and catalyst doses (0.1–0.7 g/L) in a batch reactor. In this regard, temperature and catalyst dosage showed a significant impact on the removal of the tested antibiotic. By using a catalyst dose of 0.7 g/L, ciprofloxacin degradation and CO2 selectivity were higher than 99 % and 60 %, respectively, and were achieved within two hours at 140 °C and 20 bar. The loss of the active phase (Fe) of the catalyst in the reaction medium was measured, obtaining negligible values (less than 24 ppb). This catalyst showed high stability under the tested reaction conditions. In addition, a potential equation was proposed to correctly describe the evolution of ciprofloxacin degradation. The calculated activation energy of the CWAO process was 53.8 kJ/mol. Additionally, Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were performed to illustrate the degradation mechanism of ciprofloxacin, where the electronic energies indicated the compounds that are most difficult to degrade by CWAO. Finally, a proof of concept using an environmentally-relevant matrix was carried out, verifying the technical feasibility of the synthesized catalyst for its application with more complex matrices, consecutive reaction cycles and at a low treatment cost, Comunidad de Madrid, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de Materiales, Fac. de Ciencias Químicas, TRUE, pub

This study assesses cognitive abilities through video games for entertainment (Blek, Edge, and Unpossible) that were programmed from scratch to record players’ behavior and the levels achieved in a sample without emotional problems and in one with emotional problems. The non-emotional-problem sample was recruited from three universities and two bachelor’s degree programs. The emotional-problem sample was recruited from two outpatient centers. The participants in the emotional-problem sample completed reduced versions of the ability tests and video games, as required by their emotional problems. Three subtests of the Differential Aptitude Test that assessed abstract reasoning, visuospatial reasoning, and perceptual speed were selected as ability tests. All participants were required to complete a mental health questionnaire (PROMIS) and a brief questionnaire on their gaming habits and previous experience with the video games used. The results that were obtained showed good convergent validity of the video games as measures of cognitive abilities, and they showed that the behavior of players in the sample without emotional problems while playing predicted the level achieved in the Blek and Unpossible game fragments, but this was only true for Unpossible in the emotional-problem sample; finally, shorter versions of the Blek and Edge game fragments can be used because they maintain their good psychometric properties, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España), Depto. de Psicología Social, del Trabajo y Diferencial, Depto. de Personalidad, Evaluación y Psicología Clínica, Depto. de Ingeniería de Software e Inteligencia Artificial (ISIA), Fac. de Psicología, Fac. de Informática, TRUE, pub, Descuento UCM

The increasing consumption of pharmaceuticals, along with the ineffectiveness of conventional wastewater treatment, has resulted in an increased presence of these pollutants in both drinking water supplies and aquatic environments. The potential adverse health effects and environmental impact of these chemicals are drawing the attention of several bodies around the world. For instance, some antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole have been included in the most recent European Surface Water Watch List under the EU Water Framework Directive (Decision 2020/1161). The present work proposes the use of terpenoids and eutectic solvents, as effective and green solvents with low toxicity, for multicomponent liquid-liquid extraction of ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole from ultrapure water and hospital wastewater. The COSMO-RS method was used for a predictive initial solvent screening. Thymol, carvacrol, eutectic solvents (thymol + fatty acids), and conventional solvents (methyl isobutyl ketone and ethyl acetate) were selected to be used in the experiments. The influence of the volume S/F ratio, aqueous matrix, and pH was analysed. Conventional solvents show significantly lower overall extraction yields than those observed for eutectic solvents and terpenoids at any pH and matrix. Carvacrol presented the most favourable conditions, reaching overall extraction yields above 98.0% (98.9% for trimethoprim, 99.5% for ciprofloxacin, and 97.0% for sulfamethoxazole) with hospital wastewater at pH 5.0 and S/F ratio of 1.00. Carvacrol showed a feasible operating in a continuous extraction column at room temperature, providing effective reuse and regeneration processes in this study.The increasing consumption of pharmaceuticals, along with the ineffectiveness of conventional wastewater treatment, has resulted in an increased presence of these pollutants in both drinking water supplies and aquatic environments. The potential adverse health ef, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Comunidad de Madrid, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de Materiales, Fac. de Ciencias Químicas, TRUE, pub

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2022), The potential environmental impact and adverse effects of the occurrence of pesticides in the aquatic environment have raised great social and political concern, leading to their control by means of several regulations, such as the European Directive 98/83/EC. In this regard, the three neonicotinoid pesticides analyzed in this work (acetamiprid, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam) have been included in the surface water European Watch Lists under the Water Framework Directive. This research proposes the use of terpenoid-based solvents for the extraction of the three emerging contaminants previously mentioned. An initial screening of the extraction solvents was carried out through the COSMO-RS methodology, selecting the most favourable pure terpenes, eutectic terpenoid-based and conventional solvents. Furthermore, relevant issues were experimentally analyzed, such as extraction in more realistic multicomponent mixtures together with key parametric studies covering operating temperature and matrix influence. Carvacrol, a pure terpenoid not applied before as an extraction solvent of pesticides, has been revealed as an effective and sustainable substitute for conventional solvents for the first time to the best of our knowledge. Specifically, carvacrol exhibited overall extraction yields of around 97.5 % from a river water matrix at a volumetric S/F ratio of 0.1 and 303.2 K. High extraction yields from river water matrices regardless of temperature pointed to the potential of this solvent for a wide range of industrial application., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Comunidad de Madrid, Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de Materiales, Fac. de Ciencias Químicas, TRUE, pub

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2022), The presence of pharmaceuticals in wastewater, mainly in hospital wastewater, is a serious environmental concern, as they are not removed by conventional processes in wastewater treatment plants and are discharged into the natural environment. This work proposes extracting drugs from hospital wastewater using natural, renewable, and non-toxic solvents such as terpenes and eutectic solvents. First, molecular simulation has been used with the COSMO-RS method performing a massive screening of 43 terpenes, 11 eutectic solvents, and 5 conventional solvents with 31 common pharmaceuticals. The most promising solvents in the screening have been chosen to extract 11 pharmaceuticals simultaneously. Experimental tests with ultrapure water and real hospital wastewater matrices showed a strong influence of pH and matrix on extraction. Under the optimal conditions, global pharmaceutical extraction yields with carvacrol of 94.16 % and the eutectic solvent thymol+dodecanoic acid of 96.86 % were obtained. The regeneration and reuse of both solvents were studied in 5 consecutive stages, showing the carvacrol's high stability and regenerability. Using carvacrol, countercurrent extraction tests showed a fast mass transfer of pharmaceuticals and high extraction yields using low solvent-to-feed (S/F) ratios. The predictions obtained with COSMO-RS were similar to the experimental results, confirming the reliability of this method for selecting alternative solvents for the extraction of pharmaceuticals. Finally, the drug removal process was simulated in a countercurrent extraction. The complete removal of pharmaceuticals from hospital wastewater could be achieved using carvacrol with an S/F of 2.00 at pH 4.00 in an extractor with six equilibrium stages., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Comunidad de Madrid, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de Materiales, Fac. de Ciencias Químicas, TRUE, pub

Gulupa (Passiflora edulis f. edulis) is among the crops with the largest expansion rates in Antioquia (Colombia). This rapid increase has been accompanied by a rise in prevalence of vascular wilt (Fusarium oxysporum) and viral diseases. In this work, we evaluated the prevalence of four RNA viruses (SMV, CABMV, PFYMV and CMV), in addition to viruses from the genus Begomovirus and the badnavirus GBVA. The presence of viruses was investigated in 15 samples of plantlets and 15 of sexual seeds, 15 asymptomatic and 15 symptomatic, from crops from Eastern Antioquia. For RNA viruses, infection was determined by RT-qPCR; in the case of GBVA and begomoviruses, detection was performed using PCR. The presence of these viruses was further confirmed by high-throughput sequence (HTS) analysis of bulked samples (15x) which allowed the complete sequencing of PFYMV, SMV and GBVA. PFYMV and SMV were the most prevalent viruses in adult plants. PFYMV was detected in 33.3 % of symptomatic and 46.6 % of asymptomatic plants, while SMV was found in 33.3 % of symptomatic, and 20 % of asymptomatic plants. For GVBA and CMV, the prevalence was below 26.6 %. Interestingly, these four viruses had a high prevalence in sprouting seeds (SMV: 40 %, CMV: 13.3 %, PFYMV: 86.6 % and GBVA: 53.3 %) suggesting that sexual seeds are important for virus transmission in gulupa. Plantlets commercialized in the region showed significant levels of SMV (86.6 %), PFYMV (60 %), and GBVA (53.3 %). CABMV and begomoviruses were not detected in any sample. These results highlight the need of implementing virus seed certification schemes for this crop, La gulupa (Passiflora edulis f. edulis) es uno de los frutales con mayor crecimiento en los últimos años y de gran influencia en la economía de Antioquia (Colombia); sin embargo, su cultivo es afectado por diferentes problemas fitosanitarios, especialmente la marchitez por Fusarium oxysporum y enfermedades virales. En este estudio se evaluó la prevalencia de cuatro virus de ARN (SMV, CABMV, PFYMV y CMV) mediante RT-qPCR, virus del género Begomovirus y del badnavirus GBVA por PCR, a partir de muestras sintomáticas (SI) y asintomáticas (AS) obtenidas en 15 lotes, 15 grupos de plántulas (PL) y 15 muestras de semilla sexual en el oriente de Antioquia. Los genomas de los virus fueron ensamblados utilizando secuenciación masiva (HTS) a partir de grupos de muestras (15x). Con excepción de CABMV y begomovirus, los otros virus fueron encontrados en las muestras sintomáticas y asintomáticas, siendo el PFYMV (SI=33,3 % y AS=46,6 %) y SMV (SI=33,3 % y AS=20 %) los de mayor prevalencia, mientras que GBVA y CMV se detectaron en niveles inferiores al 26,6 %. De forma interesante, los cuatro virus detectados se encontraron en evaluaciones sobre brotes de semillas recién germinadas (SMV=40 %, CMV=13,3 %, PFYMV=86,6 %, GBVA=53,3 %), lo que sugiere que la semilla sexual juega un papel importante en la transmisión de estos virus en gulupa, así como también las plántulas comercializadas en esta región (SMV=86,6 %, CMV=0 %, PFYMV=60 %, GBVA=53,3 %). Mediante HTS fue posible el ensamblaje completo de los genomas de PFYMV, SMV y GBVA. Estos resultados enfatizan la necesidad de generar material certificado por su sanidad viral en gulupa

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the agricultural products with highest internal demand in Colombia. However, this crop is affected by a virus com-plex that have a dramatic effect in yields and on the quality of tuber-seeds. In this work we tested the prevalence of five RNA viruses (PVY, PVS, PVX, PLRV and PYVV) in tuber-seed sprouts and their corresponding plantlets using re-al-time RT-PCR. Tuber-seeds were obtained from commercial (TC) and infor-mal seed (TNC) distributors. Our results suggest high levels of infection with all five viruses in seed potatoes. Mixed infections, with up to four different viruses, were found with high frequency in certified or registered seed tubers. PVY (74%) and PVS (36%) were the most prevalent viruses using leaf tissues. The combination PVY+PLRV (24%) was the most common mixed infection in commercial tuber-seeds. In non-commercial seeds the most prevalent mixed infections were PVY+PYVV+PVS and PVY+PVS+PLRV at 10%. The phyloge-netic affinity of all viruses under study was determined by partial sequencing of their CP genes, which confirmed their close relationship with previously characterized Colombian strains. These results underscore the urgent need to improve the health status in potato seed-tubers used by farmers in Colombia., La papa (Solanum tuberosum) es uno de los productos agrícolas con mayor demanda interna en Colombia. Este cultivo es afectado por un complejo de virus que reduce los rendimientos y la calidad de los tubérculos-semilla. En este trabajo se evaluó la prevalencia de cinco virus de ARN (PVY, PVS, PVX, PLRV y PYVV) en brotes de tubérculos-semilla de origen comercial (TC) y no-comercial (TNC) y en sus plantas derivadas, utilizando RT-PCR en tiempo real. Los resultados evidenciaron altos niveles de infección de los cinco virus en el material de siembra e infecciones mixtas hasta con cuatro virus en los tubérculos comerciales. PVY (74%) y PVS (36%) presentaron los mayores niveles de prevalencia en plantas derivadas de tubérculos-semilla. La combinación PVY+PLRV presentó el mayor nivel de prevalencia en tubérculos-semilla TC (24%), mientras que en TNC las combinaciones PVY+PYVV+PVS y PVY+PVS+PLRV se presentaron en 10% de las muestras. La afinidad filogenética de los virus detectados se evaluó mediante secuenciación Sanger de amplicones de cápside, agrupándose en subclados previamente identificados sobre solanáceas en Colombia. Estos resultados señalan la necesidad de tomar acciones urgentes que permitan mejorar los niveles de sanidad viral de los materiales de siembra de papa cultivados en el país

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the agricultural products with highest internal demand in Colombia. However, this crop is affected by a virus com-plex that have a dramatic effect in yields and on the quality of tuber-seeds. In this work we tested the prevalence of five RNA viruses (PVY, PVS, PVX, PLRV and PYVV) in tuber-seed sprouts and their corresponding plantlets using re-al-time RT-PCR. Tuber-seeds were obtained from commercial (TC) and infor-mal seed (TNC) distributors. Our results suggest high levels of infection with all five viruses in seed potatoes. Mixed infections, with up to four different viruses, were found with high frequency in certified or registered seed tubers. PVY (74%) and PVS (36%) were the most prevalent viruses using leaf tissues. The combination PVY+PLRV (24%) was the most common mixed infection in commercial tuber-seeds. In non-commercial seeds the most prevalent mixed infections were PVY+PYVV+PVS and PVY+PVS+PLRV at 10%. The phyloge-netic affinity of all viruses under study was determined by partial sequencing of their CP genes, which confirmed their close relationship with previously characterized Colombian strains. These results underscore the urgent need to improve the health status in potato seed-tubers used by farmers in Colombia., La papa (Solanum tuberosum) es uno de los productos agrícolas con mayor demanda interna en Colombia. Este cultivo es afectado por un complejo de virus que reduce los rendimientos y la calidad de los tubérculos-semilla. En este trabajo se evaluó la prevalencia de cinco virus de ARN (PVY, PVS, PVX, PLRV y PYVV) en brotes de tubérculos-semilla de origen comercial (TC) y no-comercial (TNC) y en sus plantas derivadas, utilizando RT-PCR en tiempo real. Los resultados evidenciaron altos niveles de infección de los cinco virus en el material de siembra e infecciones mixtas hasta con cuatro virus en los tubérculos comerciales. PVY (74%) y PVS (36%) presentaron los mayores niveles de prevalencia en plantas derivadas de tubérculos-semilla. La combinación PVY+PLRV presentó el mayor nivel de prevalencia en tubérculos-semilla TC (24%), mientras que en TNC las combinaciones PVY+PYVV+PVS y PVY+PVS+PLRV se presentaron en 10% de las muestras. La afinidad filogenética de los virus detectados se evaluó mediante secuenciación Sanger de amplicones de cápside, agrupándose en subclados previamente identificados sobre solanáceas en Colombia. Estos resultados señalan la necesidad de tomar acciones urgentes que permitan mejorar los niveles de sanidad viral de los materiales de siembra de papa cultivados en el país

Diversos proyectos de investigación recientes han demostrado un marcado grado de correlación entre el factor g (o factor de inteligencia general) y el rendimiento global en los videojuegos. Los experimentos llevados a cabo en ellos incluyeron no sólo juegos “mentales” clásicos (o brain games), sino también diferentes títulos comerciales ya existentes. Esos juegos “cerrados” no permiten la extracción automática de datos de comportamiento en el juego. Como resultado, los investigadores a menudo recurrieron a métodos manuales externos para registrar las medidas de rendimiento e interacción con el juego. El objetivo de este trabajo es ayudar a mejorar el proceso de recopilación de datos utilizado en dichos estudios mediante (1) la reimplementación de un pequeño subconjunto que consta de tres de los juegos empleados en estos estudios anteriores (2) desarrollar un sistema de telemetría para automatizar y mejorar la recopilación de eventos y variables de usuario en el juego y (3) implementar una plataforma web para realizar un experimento en línea con el fin de reunir dichos datos. En tres semanas, un total de 53 participantes completaron los tres juegos disponibles en el sistema. A pesar del tamaño modesto del conjunto de datos, pudimos mostrar un factor de inteligencia latente subyacente a través de un análisis factorial exploratorio. Además, intentamos predecir el resultado final de un jugador en un juego dado a partir de registros de partidas truncadas (hasta cierto punto en el tiempo) a través de redes neuronales y bosques aleatorios. Este análisis posterior podría permitir a futuros estudios acortar sus tiempos de experimentación, aumentando así la viabilidad de la evaluación de inteligencia basada en juegos., Several recent research projects have shown a high correlation between the g factor (or general intelligence factor) and overall performance in video games. The experiments carried out in them included not only classical brain games, but also different existing comercial titles. These closed games do not allow the automatic extraction of in-game behaviour data. As a result, researchers often resorted to manual methods of registering measurements externally. The aim of our work is to help to improve the data collection process used in those studies by (1) reimplementing a small subset consisting of three of the games administered in these former studies (2) developing a telemetry system to automate and enhance the recording of in-game user events and variables and (3) deploying a web platform to conduct an online experiment to collect such data. Within three weeks, a total of 53 participants completed all three games available on the system. Despite the dataset’s modest size, we were able to show an underlying latent intelligence factor through an exploratory factor analysis. Moreover, we attempted to predict a player’s final score in a given game from truncated play logs (up to a certain point in time) using neural networks and random forests. This later analysis could potentially allow future studies to shorten experiment times, thus increasing the viability of game-based intelligence assessment.

Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most limiting viruses in the production of potato (Solanum tuberosum and S. phureja) worldwide. This virus is transmitted by aphids and infected tuber-seeds, and for this reason, disease management of PVY requires, among others, using certified planting material through highly sensitive techniques such as ELISA and RT-PCR. However, RT-PCR-based methods require primers of high specificity to allow the unequivocal detection of viruses in asymptomatic tissues. In this work, we report a new set of primers (PVY_Col) for detection of PVY by RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR). These primers were designed using sequences of PVY isolates from Colombia and the rest of the world. An essential feature of these primers is their specificity, since they don´t amplify templates from Potato virus V (PVV), a close PVY relative that also infects potato crops in Colombia. It is expected that the PVY_Col primer set will be useful to support potato seed certification programs, epidemiological studies, and PVY disease management programs., El Potato virus Y (PVY) es uno de los virus más limitantes para la producción de papa (Solanum tuberosum y S. phureja) en el mundo. Este virus es transmitido por tubérculo-semilla de papa y por diferentes especies de áfidos. Para su manejo es fundamental la siembra de tubérculos certificados por su sanidad viral, para lo que se requieren metodologías de detección altamente sensibles como ELISA y RT-PCR. Para éstas últimas pruebas, es necesario disponer de cebadores específicos que permitan el diagnóstico del virus en tejidos asintomáticos. En este estudio se reportan los cebadores PVY_Col para la detección del PVY en RT-PCR convencional y en tiempo real (RT-qPCR). Estos cebadores fueron diseñados con base en las secuencias de este virus que se han reportado en Colombia sobre diferentes hospedantes, así como de las diferentes variantes encontradas en el mundo. Una particularidad adicional de estos cebadores es que no presentan reacción cruzada con el genoma del Potato virus V (PVV), otro potyvirus que recientemente se ha encontrado afectando cultivos de papa en Colombia. Se espera que los cebadores PVY_Col sean utilizados para apoyar los programas de certificación de material de siembra de papa, así como para adelantar estudios epidemiológicos y de manejo fitosanitario de este virus.