Daños de Palaeococcus fuscipennis Burm (Homoptera: Margarodidae) en pinos y cipreses de los parques de Lleida

Durante el inicio de la primavera del 2001 (primera quincena de abril) se detectaron ataques muy fuertes de Palaeococcus fuscipennis Burm. en Pinus halepensis y en Pinus pinea en los parques municipales de Lleida. Algunos ejemplares de Cupressus sempervirens fueron también fuertemente atacados. Se ha estudiado la evolución del margaródido en árboles tratados contra la cochinilla y sin tratar, se ha comparado el ataque en P. pinea y P. halepensis y se ha evaluado la presencia de enemigos naturales.

Estudio de la eficiencia energética del sector "D" de la comunidad de regantes de Carrassumada, Torres de Segre

En el presente estudio se analiza la eficiencia energética de una estación de bombeo que abastece una superficie de 205 ha. Mediante el uso de una serie de indicadores se han identificado los puntos críticos y planteado las medidas de mejora oportunas, se ha estudiado el impacto que supondría su implantación así como su viabilidad técnica y económica para llevarlas a cabo. Los resultados reflejan que las mejoras más importantes se dan cuando se establecen turnos que agrupen las parcelas con demandas energéticas similares, consiguiendo un ahorro energético y económico del 21 %. Las otras medidas analizadas son: Evitar caudales bajos, Cambiar el punto de transición entre una a dos bombas en paralelo, Fijar la presión de consigna en función de los hidrantes abiertos, Ajustar la presión de consigna a las necesidades reales. Las cuales combinadas permitirían un ahorro del 22%.

Wiki-supported collaborative learning in primary education. How a dialogic space is created for thinking together

This paper explores how wikis may be used to support primary education students’ collaborative interaction and how such an interaction process can be characterised. The overall aim of this study is to analyse the collaborative processes of students working together in a wiki environment, in order to see how primary students can actively create a shared context for learning in the wiki. Educational literature has already reported that wikis may support collaborative knowledge-construction processes, but in our study we claim that a dialogic perspective is needed to accomplish this. Students must develop an intersubjective orientation towards each others’ perspectives, to co-construct knowledge about a topic. For this purpose, our project utilised a ‘Thinking Together’ approach to help students develop an intersubjective orientation towards one another and to support the creation of a ‘dialogic space’ to co-construct new understanding in a wiki science project. The students’ asynchronous interaction process in a primary classroom -- which led to the creation of a science text in the wiki -- was analysed and characterised, using a dialogic approach to the study of CSCL practices. Our results illustrate how the Thinking Together approach became embedded within the wiki environment and in the students’ collaborative processes. We argue that a dialogic approach for examining interaction can be used to help design more effective pedagogic approaches related to the use of wikis in education and to equip learners with the competences they need to participate in the global knowledge-construction era.

Los diputados catalanes en las Cortes de Cádiz (1810-1813) : proceso electoral y prosopografía

En el presente trabajo pretendemos analizar el proceso de elección de los diputados catalanes que representaron al Principado de Cataluña en las Cortes de Cádiz (1810-1813), la sociología de los parlamentarios y su comportamiento en el Parlamento según la ideología que manifestaron. Para el estudio hemos cruzado, principalmente, los datos del Diccionario Biográfico de los Parlamentarios Españoles (Madrid, 2010) y la documentación del Archivo del Congreso de los Diputados. Tras el análisis del proceso electoral, primero observamos que nunca se cubrieron todos los puestos otorgados a Cataluña. En segundo lugar, los diputados elegidos fueron, en su mayoría, de condición social acomodada, representativos de la sociedad catalana y acordes con sus homónimos españoles, sobresaliendo en número los grupos de diputados eclesiásticos, abogados y nobles. En tercer lugar, a diferencia del caso global español, destacamos que la adscripción política de la representación catalana fue de mayoría realista y se mostró globalmente contraria a la legislación liberal aprobada en Cádiz.

Univariate Parametric Survival Analysis using GS-distributions

The GS-distribution is a family of distributions that provide an accurate representation of any unimodal univariate continuous distribution. In this contribution we explore the utility of this family as a general model in survival analysis. We show that the survival function based on the GS-distribution is able to provide a model for univariate survival data and that appropriate estimates can be obtained. We develop some hypotheses tests that can be used for checking the underlying survival model and for comparing the survival of different groups.

Natural or naturalized? phylogeography suggests that the abundant sea urchin arbacia lixula Is a recent Colonizer of the Mediterranean

We present the global phylogeography of the black sea urchin Arbacia lixula, an amphi-Atlantic echinoid with potential to strongly impact shallow rocky ecosystems. Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene of 604 specimens from 24 localities were obtained, covering most of the distribution area of the species, including the Mediterranean and both shores of the Atlantic. Genetic diversity measures, phylogeographic patterns, demographic parameters and population differentiation were analysed. We found high haplotype diversity but relatively low nucleotide diversity, with 176 haplotypes grouped within three haplogroups: one is shared between Eastern Atlantic (including Mediterranean) and Brazilian populations, the second is found in Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean and the third is exclusively from Brazil. Significant genetic differentiation was found between Brazilian, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, but no differentiation was found among Mediterranean sub-basins or among Eastern Atlantic sub-regions. The star-shaped topology of the haplotype network and the unimodal mismatch distributions of Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic samples suggest that these populations have suffered very recent demographic expansions. These expansions could be dated 94-205 kya in the Mediterranean, and 31-67 kya in the Eastern Atlantic. In contrast, Brazilian populations did not show any signature of population expansion. Our results indicate that all populations of A. lixula constitute a single species. The Brazilian populations probably diverged from an Eastern Atlantic stock. The present-day genetic structure of the species in Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean is shaped by very recent demographic processes. Our results support the view (backed by the lack of fossil record) that A. lixula is a recent thermophilous colonizer which spread throughout the Mediterranean during a warm period of the Pleistocene, probably during the last interglacial. Implications for the possible future impact of A. lixula on shallow Mediterranean ecosystems in the context of global warming trends must be considered.

Development process and initial validation of the ethical conflict in nursing questionnaire-critical care version

Background: Ethical conflicts are arising as a result of the growing complexity of clinical care, coupled with technological advances. Most studies that have developed instruments for measuring ethical conflict base their measures on the variables"frequency" and"degree of conflict". In our view, however, these variables are insufficient for explaining the root of ethical conflicts. Consequently, the present study formulates a conceptual model that also includes the variable"exposure to conflict", as well as considering six"types of ethical conflict". An instrument was then designed to measure the ethical conflicts experienced by nurses who work with critical care patients. The paper describes the development process and validation of this instrument, the Ethical Conflict in Nursing Questionnaire Critical Care Version (ECNQ-CCV). Methods: The sample comprised 205 nursing professionals from the critical care units of two hospitals in Barcelona (Spain). The ECNQ-CCV presents 19 nursing scenarios with the potential to produce ethical conflict in the critical care setting. Exposure to ethical conflict was assessed by means of the Index of Exposure to Ethical Conflict (IEEC), a specific index developed to provide a reference value for each respondent by combining the intensity and frequency of occurrence of each scenario featured in the ECNQ-CCV. Following content validity, construct validity was assessed by means of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), while Cronbach"s alpha was used to evaluate the instrument"s reliability. All analyses were performed using the statistical software PASW v19. Results: Cronbach"s alpha for the ECNQ-CCV as a whole was 0.882, which is higher than the values reported for certain other related instruments. The EFA suggested a unidimensional structure, with one component accounting for 33.41% of the explained variance. Conclusions: The ECNQ-CCV is shown to a valid and reliable instrument for use in critical care units. Its structure is such that the four variables on which our model of ethical conflict is based may be studied separately or in combination. The critical care nurses in this sample present moderate levels of exposure to ethical conflict. This study represents the first evaluation of the ECNQ-CCV.

Development process and initial validation of the ethical conflict in nursing questionnaire-critical care version

Background: Ethical conflicts are arising as a result of the growing complexity of clinical care, coupled with technological advances. Most studies that have developed instruments for measuring ethical conflict base their measures on the variables"frequency" and"degree of conflict". In our view, however, these variables are insufficient for explaining the root of ethical conflicts. Consequently, the present study formulates a conceptual model that also includes the variable"exposure to conflict", as well as considering six"types of ethical conflict". An instrument was then designed to measure the ethical conflicts experienced by nurses who work with critical care patients. The paper describes the development process and validation of this instrument, the Ethical Conflict in Nursing Questionnaire Critical Care Version (ECNQ-CCV). Methods: The sample comprised 205 nursing professionals from the critical care units of two hospitals in Barcelona (Spain). The ECNQ-CCV presents 19 nursing scenarios with the potential to produce ethical conflict in the critical care setting. Exposure to ethical conflict was assessed by means of the Index of Exposure to Ethical Conflict (IEEC), a specific index developed to provide a reference value for each respondent by combining the intensity and frequency of occurrence of each scenario featured in the ECNQ-CCV. Following content validity, construct validity was assessed by means of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), while Cronbach"s alpha was used to evaluate the instrument"s reliability. All analyses were performed using the statistical software PASW v19. Results: Cronbach"s alpha for the ECNQ-CCV as a whole was 0.882, which is higher than the values reported for certain other related instruments. The EFA suggested a unidimensional structure, with one component accounting for 33.41% of the explained variance. Conclusions: The ECNQ-CCV is shown to a valid and reliable instrument for use in critical care units. Its structure is such that the four variables on which our model of ethical conflict is based may be studied separately or in combination. The critical care nurses in this sample present moderate levels of exposure to ethical conflict. This study represents the first evaluation of the ECNQ-CCV.

Lista actualizada de los opistobranquios (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) de las costas catalanas

Se presenta una lista taxonómica de las especies de opistobranquios (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) registradas hasta el presente en aguas litorales o de profundidad de las costas catalanas (NE Península Ibérica). Esta lista se basa en citas publicadas en la literatura, en citas fotográficas procedentes de Internet, en comunicaciones personales de buceadores y en numerosos datos inéditos de recolecciones del autor. De cada especie se indican las referencias bibliográficas, y en el caso de los datos no publicados o procedentes de Internet, se indican las localidades concretas donde se han recolectado u observado. En aguas catalanas se registran hasta el momento un total de 205 especies de opistobranquios: 36 de Cephalaspidea s.s., 9 de Architectibranchia, 7 de Anaspidea, 11 de Thecosomata, 3 de Gymnosomata, 14 de Sacoglossa, 2 de Umbraculacea, 8 de Pleurobranchacea y 115 de Nudibranchia (55 Doridina, 14 Dendronotina, 4 Arminina y 42 Aeolidina). De estas especies, tres de ellas se citan por vez primera para el litoral ibérico (Runcina adriatica, R. brenkoae y Tritonia lineata), mientras que otras siete más no habían sido recolectadas en el litoral catalán (Runcina coronata, R. ferruginea, Elysia translucens, Ercolania coerulea, Berthellina edwarsi, Doris ocelligera y Piseinotecus gabinieri). Teniendo en cuenta la extensión del litoral catalán (550 km de costa) y comparando con los datos publicados para otras regiones costeras de la Península Ibérica, se puede concluir que las costas catalanas son muy ricas en biodiversidad de opistobranquios, y que el grado de conocimiento alcanzado sobre este grupo de moluscos es muy alto.

Patterns of impact resulting from a 'sit less, move more' web-based program in sedentary office employees

Purpose Encouraging office workers to ‘sit less and move more’ encompasses two public health priorities. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing sitting, even less about the longer term effects of such interventions and still less on dual-focused interventions. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of a workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS; 2010-11) on self-reported sitting time, step counts and physical risk factors (waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure) for chronic disease. Methods Employees at six Spanish university campuses (n=264; 42±10 years; 171 female) were randomly assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (used W@WS; n=129; 87 female) or a Comparison group (maintained normal behavior; n=135; 84 female). This phased, 19-week program aimed to decrease occupational sitting time through increased incidental movement and short walks. A linear mixed model assessed changes in outcome measures between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and followup (two months) phases for Intervention versus Comparison groups.A significant 2 (group) × 2 (program phases) interaction was found for self-reported occupational sitting (F[3]=7.97, p=0.046), daily step counts (F[3]=15.68, p=0.0013) and waist circumference (F[3]=11.67, p=0.0086). The Intervention group decreased minutes of daily occupational sitting while also increasing step counts from baseline (446±126; 8,862±2,475) through ramping (+425±120; 9,345±2,435), maintenance (+422±123; 9,638±3,131) and follow-up (+414±129; 9,786±3,205). In the Comparison group, compared to baseline (404±106), sitting time remained unchanged through ramping and maintenance, but decreased at follow-up (-388±120), while step counts diminished across all phases. The Intervention group significantly reduced waist circumference by 2.1cms from baseline to follow-up while the Comparison group reduced waist circumference by 1.3cms over the same period. Conclusions W@WSis a feasible and effective evidence-based intervention that can be successfully deployed with sedentary employees to elicit sustained changes on “sitting less and moving more”.