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The production of CO via Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) reaction is a suitable route for CO2 valorization. In this study a series of modified spinels AB2O4 (A site = Ni, Zn and Cu and B site=Fe) are investigated as RWGS catalysts and their structure-to-function relationships derived from the changes on the A-site cation are rationalized. For all ferrite systems, the RWGS reaction the process main activity and selectivity is governed by the B-site cation, but the variations on the A-site metals determines catalysts' structural features and stability in the reaction. Among the catalyst series, superior RWGS performance displayed the ferrites modified with Cu and Ni associated to the greater oxygen vacancy population for those spinels enabled by the partial allocation on Fe3+ cations into the tetrahedral sites. Junta de Andalucía US-1263288 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TI2018-096294-B-C3

En la actualidad es cada vez más evidente la problemática a nivel mundial debido a la escasez de agua, es por esto que continuamente se buscan nuevas alternativas para ahorrar y aprovechar de manera eficiente este recurso, por lo cual el objeto del presentar estudio es analizar los posibles usos de sistemas de recolección de agua condensada generada por los aires acondicionados con el fin de propiciar el aprovechamiento de este recurso en distintos sectores sociales e industriales buscando el desarrollo de acciones tendientes a mitigar el impacto del medio ambiente producto del gasto energético de aires acondicionado, contribuyendo al medio ambiente en el aprovisionamiento y reutilización de recursos hídricos en actividades en sectores sociales e industriales, con este fin, la pregunta problema de esta investigación es la siguiente: ¿Cuáles son los usos que se le pueden dar al agua condensada de aires acondicionados como un sistema de aprovechamiento alternativo en sectores sociales e industriales?. Para responder a esta pregunta se realizo una exhaustiva exploración investigativa de los usos que se le pueden dar a este recurso hídrico en diferentes sectores, y de esta forma determinar cuáles son los uso que se le puede dar al agua condensada de los aires acondicionados en los diferentes sectores. La metodología empleada es esta investigación es de tipo descriptiva. En este contexto dicho análisis está encaminado a contribuir con la reducción de agua potable generando un impacto positivo a la sociedad, la comunidad educativa de la institución y especialmente al medio ambiente. At present, the problem is increasingly evident worldwide due to the scarcity of water, which is why new alternatives are continuously sought to efficiently save this resource, for which the purpose of the study is to analyze the possible uses of systems collection of condensed water generated by air conditioners in order to promote the use of this resource in different social and industrial sectors seeking the development of actions aimed at mitigating the impact of the environment resulting from the energy expenditure of air conditioning, contributing to the environment environment in the supply and reuse of water resources in activities in social and industrial sectors, for this purpose the problem question of this research is the following: What are the uses that can be given to condensed water from air conditioners as a system of use in industrial and industrial sectors. To answer this question, an exhaustive investigative exploration of the uses that can be given to this water resource in different sectors will be carried out, and in this way to determine what are the uses that can be given to condensed water from air conditioners in the different sectors. The methodology used in this research is descriptive. In this context, said analysis is aimed at contributing to the reduction of drinking water generating a positive impact on society, the educational community of the institution and especially the environment.

Kidney disease development is poorly understood due to the complex cellular interactions of more than 25 different cell types, each with specialized functions. Here, we used single cell RNA-sequencing to resolve cell type-specific and cell fraction changes in kidney disease.Whole kidney RNA-sequencing results were strongly influenced by cell fraction changes, but minimally informative to detect cell type-specific gene expression changes. Cell type-specific differential expression analysis identified proximal tubule cells (PT cells) as the key vulnerable cell type in diseased kidneys. Through unbiased cell trajectory analyses, we show that PT cell differentiation state is altered in disease state. Lipid metabolism (fatty acid oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation) in PT cells showed the strongest and reproducible association with PT cells state. The coupling of cell state and metabolism is established by nuclear receptors such as PPARA and ESRRA that not only control cellular metabolism but also the expression of PT cell-specific genes in mice and patient samples.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects 3%-10% of the Western population and if remains untreated can have devastating consequences to patients and their families. This review article analyzes how healthy dietary habits can decrease PAD rates when applied in the general population. The aim is to focus on dietary, nutritional and weight management interventions in patients with established PAD. Most adults with PAD are overweight or obese, while three out of four patients are characterized by deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Weight loss interventions when needed and specialized dietary plans should be routinely recommended in patients with PAD. Appropriate nutritional support is of paramount importance in patients with advanced stages of PAD (critical limb ischemia). © 2020 Sagris et al. Published by IMR Press.

Emerging and re-emerging human parasites have become a global health threat due to different factors including globalisation, climate and vector ecology changes that have highlighted the necessity of teaching human parasitology to appropriately train future health care professionals. However, a significant erosion in the teaching of parasitology in conjunction with a reduction of the number of parasitology departments across European universities has been reported. To maintain and strengthen the teaching of this discipline, De Montfort University (DMU, UK) is leading an innovative international project for the development of a complete on-line package for teaching and learning parasitology named DMU e-Parasitology. This package will be publicly available on the DMU website here http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/ when completed early in 2019 and have different modules including a Virtual Laboratory. This paper focuses on the first e-learning unit created for the Virtual Laboratory section, named Human Cell Culture, and the validation undertaken to use it as a model unit to build this section. Cell culture is fundamental in parasitology for supporting different areas such as culture of obligate intracellular parasites or testing future drugs against these pathogens. The evaluation of the unit with undergraduate Biomedical Science students in 2017/18 at De Montfort University (UK) indicate that the unit seemed successful in facilitating students to acquire essential basic skills for working with cells in a cell culture room. Finally, we also provide a description of the short-blended learning experience implemented to validate the unit, intervention that could be easily adopted to enhance the teaching of cell culture in human health science programmes.

In post-Ebola Sierra Leone, capacity building is critical to prevent future outbreaks, which should be informed by research influenced by good cultural and ethical practices. De Montfort University (DMU, UK) in collaboration with parasitologists from the Spanish Universities of San Pablo CEU and Miguel Hernandez de Elche, is leading a project to build the research and teaching capabilities at University of Makeni (UniMak, Sierra Leone). As part of the project, a DMU academic visited UniMak for two weeks in April 2019 and provided sessions in basic parasitology, currently not taught in any programme. These sessions covered basic introduction to medical parasitology and life-cycle, pathogenesis, detection, treatment and prevention of: a) coccidian (Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora and Cystoisospora); b) Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba and free-living amoebas; c) malaria and d) microsporidia. A theoretical session on the use of biological safety cabinets and common staining techniques was also provided. To facilitate the teaching and learning of these parasites, the novel resource DMU e-Parasitology was used, a package developed by the above participating universities and biomedical scientists from the UK National Health Service: http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/index.htm; which comprises four sections: theoretical with engaging e-learning units, a virtual laboratory, microscopy and case studies. To apply the knowledge learnt during the sessions, volunteer UniMak students attended a final session in which they were asked to resolve the virtual clinical case studies available, specifically designed to enhance critical thinking and self-learning. Participants in this practical session (n=31) provided comprehensive feedback; a high percentage (96.8%) enjoyed the experience. All attendees highlighted they had gained appropriate knowledge of the studied parasitic diseases, including pathology, prevention and treatment (12.9% agreed, 87.1% strongly agreed). 93.5% and 90.3% of students indicated, respectively, that the diagrams and mini-videos of parasitologists performing the detection techniques facilitated their learning. Finally, 93.5% indicated that the website enhanced their interest in study of parasitology and would recommend a more comprehensive study of this science in their programmes. Our preliminary results have shown that the DMU e-Parasitology facilitates the introduction of basic medical parasitology in universities from developing countries with very little teaching and resources currently available for appropriate training.

The machine aims to fully automate the process to sow seeds. Generally, these types of activities are semi-automatic, however, the proposed solution aims to improve the efficiency of the process and the reduction of human intervention. It mainly has a mechanical part whose technique is based on a four-bar system, as for the electronic and control part it is commanded by an Arduino card. The mechanical design was carried out using CAD software, and based on the results obtained by various flexural and deformation analysis software, it was possible to select the materials and the motor to be used. The process works from operational requirements such as: transmitting the linear movement of the components, placing and aligning the transport mechanism, transmitting enough power to drill and place the seeds and finally controlling the air flow. As a result, this automated method represents 25% more efficiency and a 50% reduction in personnel compared to the manual method. In the same way, a filling of 87% of cavities for seeds was obtained, this being its highest efficiency with a pressure in the range of 0.2 to 0.3 MPa in the pressure ejector.

El propósito del estudio fue caracterizar cepas de Pasteurella multocida aisladas de pulmones de alpacas de 1 a 2 meses de edad con signos de neumonía, colectados en 2014. Se utilizó la técnica de BOX-PCR para demostrar la diversidad genética entre las cepas. Se aislaron 24 cepas de P. multocida de 46 animales mediante identificación bioquímica. El análisis por BOX-PCR demostró dos patrones de bandas amplificadas, donde 22 cepas fueron agrupadas en un clúster y dos cepas en otro clúster. El presente estudio demostró una homogeneidad genética en la mayoría de las cepas, evidenciando una fuente común de infección que afectó a los animales. The purpose of this study was to characterize strains of Pasteurella multocida isolated from lungs of 1-2 months old alpacas with signs of pneumonia, collected in 2014. The BOX-PCR technique was used to demonstrate genetic diversity among strains. Twenty-four strains of P. multocida were isolated from 46 animals through biochemical identification tests. The BOX-PCR analysis showed two amplified band patterns, where 22 strains were grouped in one cluster and two strains in another cluster. The present study showed genetic homogeneity in most of the strains, evidencing a common source of infection that affected the animals.

Background: It is widely recognised that the use of web-based teaching resources is an increasingly important method for delivering education, and it will be particularly important in the near future due to the progressively increasing number of health science students and the current number of academics in the “European Higher Education Area”. The study of parasitology and infectious diseases is essential to build professionals in the health sector with the key knowledge and skills to face global public health threats such as food-, water- or vector-borne infectious diseases outbreaks. However, the current time dedicated to the teaching of this discipline in all health sciences degrees at De Montfort University (DMU, Leicester, UK) is very little or non-existent depending on the degree/master. Methods: An innovative teaching group at DMU is trying to fill this gap in the currently available teaching offer in line with new trends in global health education, the large number of students enrolled in any health degree and the increasing number of students that would like to study this discipline (but due to different commitments do not have enough time or resources to study on a full time basis). Thus, an innovative teaching group from different EU Universities (DMU and the Spanish universities: University of San Pablo CEU, University of Alcalá, and University Miguel Hernández de Elche) and clinicians (University Hospitals of Leicester, UK) have started to design, create and develop a complete on-line package in Parasitology for undergraduate and postgraduate students that study health sciences. Results: The e-Parasitology package will be accessible through the DMU website (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk) in 2017 and will be focused on infection, prevention and treatment of major and emerging parasitological diseases. Conclusions: This teaching resource will aid our undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain a significant knowledge in parasitology by promoting self-learning and internationalization. This poster will explore one of the first mini-modules developed so far related with Toxocara, a helminthiasis with prevalence rates that can reach as high as 40% or more in parts of the world, and the challenges for its development.

Background: The presence and distribution of antibiotic resistance bacteria in the environment could constitute an emerging public health concern. Different studies have described these bacteria in a range of animals and their possible role in the contamination of the environment, however very little studies have determined these bacteria in urban ecosystems. Recovery and remediation of affected environments with these biological hazards, and the establishment of protection interventions, constitute a challenge that requires a collaborative international response to protect the public, especially in urban ecosystems. A preliminary study carried out by our research group have detected Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases (ESBL) genes for Gram-negative bacteria in animal faecal samples collected in different urban parks in the city centre of Leicester (United Kingdom). Methods: This study investigated the presence of ESBL-producing genes (blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaTEM and blaOXA) within Escherichia coli (E. coli) due to its implications for human health. 30 faecal samples were collected in the same parks between August and September of 2016. A veterinarian identified the animal species as follow: 22 avian (18 waterfowls, 4 pigeons), 4 dogs, 3 cats and 1 fox. After appropriate treatment of the samples, CTX-M-1-type producing E. coli was detected by molecular analysis in 5 of the analysed samples (17%); all of them from waterfowls. Results: The results described here, although preliminary, might indicate that waterfowls might be carriers of ESBL E. coli producers in Leicester. Waterfowls may have a possible role in the spread of CTX-M-1 producing E. coli in urban ecosystems although more research is required prior to implementing intervention programs in the monitored environment. Conclusions: Possible control measures may be cleaning frequently urban parks, roads and pavement from animal faeces, especially avian faeces; or banning exposure practices such as feeding these animals, activity that is very popular in the monitored city.