Unravelling the main mechanism responsible for nocturnal CO2 uptake by dryland soils.

Soil respiration, or CO2 efflux from soil, is a crucial component of the terrestrial carbon cycle in climate models. Contrastingly, many dryland soils absorb atmospheric CO2 at night, but the exact mechanisms driving this uptake are actively debated. Here we used a mechanistic model with heuristic approaches to unravel the underlying processes of the observed patterns of soil-atmosphere CO2 fluxes. We show that the temperature drop during nighttime is the main driver of CO2 uptake by increasing CO2 solubility and local water pH of a thin water film on soil particle surfaces, providing favourable conditions for carbonate precipitation. Our data demonstrate that the nocturnal inorganic carbon absorption is a common soil process, but often offset by biological CO2 production. The uptake rates can be impacted by different successional stages of biocrusts that consume or produce CO2 and modify the pH of the soil water film, which can be maintained by non-rainfall water inputs, such as pore space condensation. Annual estimates of nocturnal carbon uptake, based on in situ continuous measurements at the soil level in drylands are still very scarce, but fluxes of up to several tens of g C m-2 y-1 have been reported, potentially accounting for a considerable fraction of the global residual terrestrial carbon sink.

Patterns in biocrust recovery over time in semiarid southeast Spain.

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are communities of microorganisms, fungi, algae, lichens and mosses inhabiting on the soil surface and within the uppermost soil millimetres. They play an important ecological role in drylands, determining physical and chemical soil properties and reducing soil erosion. Studies on biocrust natural recovery establish highly variable recovery times. The different objectives and methodologies of experimentation and analysis, strongly influence these predictions. The main purpose of this research is to analyze the recovery dynamics of four biocrust communities and their relationship with microclimatic variables. In 2004, in Tabernas Desert, some of us removed the biocrust in central 30 cm × 30 cm area of three 50 cm × 50 cm plots in each of four biocrust communities (Cyanobacteria, Squamarina, Diploschistes, and Lepraria), installing a microclimatic station in each one with sensors for temperature and humidity of the soil and air, dew point, PAR and rain. Yearly, the 50 cm × 50 cm plots were photographed, and the cover of every species was monitored in every 5 cm × 5 cm cell of a 36-cells grid covering the removed central area. We analyzed different functions to fit the cover recovery, the differences in cover recovery speed between communities, the recovery dynamics from the spatial analysis of the plot, the changes in dissimilarity and biodiversity and the possible relationships with the climatic variables. The recovery of the biocrust cover fits to a sigmoidal function. The community dominated by Cyanobacteria developed faster than those dominated by lichens. The Squamarina and Diploschistes communities recovered faster than that of Lepraria and appears to be influenced by the surrounding undisturbed areas. Species-based dissimilarity between consecutive inventories fluctuated and decreased over time, while biodiversity increases in a similar way. The speed of recovery of the biocrust in each community, along with the order in which the species appeared, support the hypothesis about the succession, which would include three phases: firstly Cyanobacteria, then Diploschistes and/or Squamarina and finally Lepraria. The relationship between biocrust recovery and microclimate is complex and this work highlights the need to carry out further research on this topic and on biocrust dynamics in general.

Runoff and soil loss in biocrusts and physical crusts from the Tabernas Desert (southeast Spain) according to rainfall intensity.

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) influence hydrological and erosive processes in drylands, and their effects increase with hypothetic successional development. Runoff and raindrops, both dependent on rain intensity, are among the main causes of erosion in these areas. However, little is known about the existence of soil loss nonlinearity in relation to rain intensity and crust types; this nonlinearity could control biocrust succession and dynamics. The assumption of biocrust types as successional stages, which allow space-for-time sampling, makes it advisable to include all the successional stages when exploring possible nonlinearity. We considered seven types of crusts, three physical and four biological. We created four rainfall intensity levels in controlled laboratory conditions: 18, 60, 120, and 240 mm/h. In all but the last, we conducted the experiments at two levels of antecedent soil moisture. Generalized Lineal Models enabled us to test for differences. These analyses confirmed previous knowledge regarding the significant effect of rainfall intensity, crust type and antecedent soil moisture and their interactions on runoff and soil loss, despite the small sample size of the sample units. For example, runoff, and particularly soil loss, decreased along succession. Moreover, some results were novel: the runoff coefficient increased only up to 120 mm/h of rain intensity. A decoupling between runoff and soil loss occurred at high intensities. Soil loss increased as rainfall intensity increased only up to 60 mm/h, and then it decreased, mainly due to physical crusts, because of the formation of a water sheet on the surface due to the incoming rainwater exceeding the drainage capacity. Although soil loss was greater in the incipient cyanobacteria than in the most developed lichen biocrust (Lepraria community), the protection provided by any biocrust against soil loss was great compared to the physical crust, and almost as strong at all rain intensities. Soil loss increased with antecedent soil moisture only in physical crusts. Biocrusts resisted the rain splash even at a rainfall intensity of 240 mm/h.

pH-Effect in the Fabrication of ZnO Nanostructured Thin Films by Chemical Bath Deposition for Increasing the Efficiency of Solar Cells.

In this study, the impact of pH on the production of ZnO nanostructured thin films using chemical bath deposition was investigated for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of solar cells. The ZnO films were directly deposited onto glass substrates at various pH levels during the synthesis process. The results indicate that the crystallinity and overall quality of the material were not affected by the pH solution, as observed through X-ray diffraction patterns. However, scanning electron microscopy revealed that surface morphology improved with increasing pH values, leading to changes in the size of the nanoflowers between pH 9 and 11 values. Furthermore, the ZnO nanostructured thin films synthesized at pH levels of 9, 10, and 11 were utilized in the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells. The ZnO films synthesized at pH 11 exhibited superior characteristics in short-circuit current density and open-circuit photo-voltage compared with those produced at lower pH values.

Biocrusts increase the resistance to warming-induced increases in topsoil P pools.

Ongoing global warming and alterations in rainfall patterns driven by climate change are known to have large impacts on biogeochemical cycles, particularly on drylands. In addition, the global increase in atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition can destabilize primary productivity in terrestrial ecosystems, and phosphorus (P) may become the most limiting nutrient in many terrestrial ecosystems. However, the impacts of climate change on soil P pools in drylands remain poorly understood. Furthermore, it is unknown whether biocrusts, a major biotic component of drylands worldwide, modulate such impacts.Here we used two long-term (8-10 years) experiments conducted in Central (Aranjuez) and SE (Sorbas) Spain to test how a ~2.5°C warming, a ~30% rainfall reduction and biocrust cover affected topsoil (0-1 cm) P pools (non-occluded P, organic P, calcium bound P, occluded P and total P).Warming significantly increased most P pools-except occluded P-in Aranjuez, whereas only augmented non-occluded P in Sorbas. The rainfall reduction treatment had no effect on the soil P pools at any experimental site. Biocrusts increased most soil P pools and conferred resistance to simulated warming for major P pools at both sites, and to rainfall reduction for non-occluded and occluded P in Aranjuez. Synthesis. Our findings provide novel insights on the responses of soil P pools to warming and rainfall reduction, and highlight the importance of biocrusts as modulators of these responses in dryland ecosystems. Our results suggest that the observed negative impacts of warming on dryland biocrust communities will decrease their capacity to buffer changes in topsoil P driven by climate change.

Tanto el calentamiento global en curso como las alteraciones en los patrones de precipitaciones provocados por el cambio climático tienen grandes impactos en los ciclos biogeoquímicos, particularmente en los ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos. Además, el aumento global de la deposición de nitrógeno (N) atmosférico puede desestabilizar la productividad primaria en los ecosistemas terrestres, y el fósforo (P) puede convertirse en el nutriente más limitante en muchos de estos ecosistemas. Sin embargo, los impactos del cambio climático en las reservas de P del suelo en los ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos siguen sin comprenderse totalmente. Además, se desconoce si la costra biológica del suelo, un componente biótico importante de los ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos en todo el mundo, modulan tales impactos.Utilizamos dos experimentos a largo plazo (8­10 años) ubicados en el centro (Aranjuez) y el sureste (Sorbas) de España para probar cómo el calentamiento de ~2,5°C, la reducción de las precipitaciones de ~30 % y la cobertura de costra biológica afectaron los pools de P (P no ocluido, P orgánico, P ligado al calcio, P ocluido y P total) de la capa superior del suelo (0­1 cm).El calentamiento aumentó significativamente la mayoría de los pools de P ­excepto el P ocluido­ en Aranjuez, mientras que solo aumentó el P no ocluido en Sorbas. El tratamiento de reducción de las precipitaciones no tuvo efecto en los pools de P del suelo en ningún sitio experimental. La costra biológica aumentó la mayoría de los depósitos de P del suelo y confirieron resistencia al calentamiento simulado para los principales pools de P en ambos sitios, y a la reducción de las precipitaciones para el P no ocluido y ocluido en Aranjuez. Síntesis. Nuestros hallazgos brindan información novedosa sobre las respuestas de los pools de P del suelo al calentamiento y la reducción de las precipitaciones, y resaltan la importancia de la costra biológica como moduladora de estas respuestas en los ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos. Nuestros resultados sugieren que los impactos negativos observados del calentamiento en las comunidades de costra biológica de los ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos disminuirán su capacidad para amortiguar los cambios en el P del suelo provocados por el cambio climático.

Water vapor adsorption by dry soils: A potential link between the water and carbon cycles.

Water vapor adsorption (WVA) by soil is a potential contributor to the water cycle in drylands. However, continuous in-situ estimates of WVA are still scarce and the understanding of its coupling with carbon cycle and ecosystem processes remains at an incipient stage. Here we aimed to (1) identify periods of WVA and improve the understanding of the underlying processes involved in its temporal patterns by using the gradient method; (2) characterize a potential coupling between water vapor and CO2 fluxes, and (3) explore the effect of soil properties and biocrusts ecological succession on fluxes. We assumed that the nocturnal soil CO2 uptake increasingly reported in those environments could come from WVA enhancing geochemical reactions involving calcite. We measured continuously during ca. 2 years the relative humidity and CO2 molar fraction in soil and atmosphere, in association with below- and aboveground variables, over the biocrusts ecological succession. We estimated water vapor and CO2 fluxes with the gradient method, and cumulative fluxes over the study. Then, we used statistical modelling to explore relationships between variables. Our main findings are (1) WVA fluxes during hot and dry periods, and new insights on their underlying mechanisms; (2) a diel coupling between water vapor and CO2 fluxes and between cumulative fluxes, well predicted by our models; and (3) cumulative CO2 influxes increasing with specific surface area in early succession stages, thus mitigating CO2 emissions. During summer drought, as WVA was the main water source, it probably maintained ecosystem processes such as microbial activity and mineral reactions in this dryland. We suggest that WVA could drive the nocturnal CO2 uptake in those moments and discuss biogeochemical mechanisms potentially involved. Additional research is needed to monitor soil water vapor and CO2 uptake and separate their biotic and abiotic components as those sinks could grow with climate change.

Perfil clínico-epidemiológico de la COVID-19 en el municipio Cumanayagua. Cienfuegos, 2020

RESUMEN Fundamento: la COVID-19 es la enfermedad que afecta al mundo entero y es una emergencia sanitaria. Conocer las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de los enfermos resulta importante para combatirla. Objetivo: describir el perfil epidemiológico de la COVID-19 en Cumanayagua. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptico, retrospectivo de corte transversal que incluyó los 14 casos positivos diagnosticados en el año 2020. Con los datos recogidos se confeccionó una base de datos, que se procesó mediante el paquete estadístico SPSS-PC versión 25,0. Los casos se recopilaron según clasificación epidemiológica, edad, sexo, presencia o no de síntomas, comorbilidad, fuente de infección, síntomas y consejos populares de donde procedían los pacientes. Resultados: los meses de noviembre y diciembre fueron los de mayor reporte de casos, se comportaron de igual manera los casos autóctonos y los importados, predominaron los mayores de 15 años y no existieron diferencias según el sexo. Predominaron los casos asintomáticos. La hipertensión arterial, la diabetes mellitus y la obesidad fueron las comorbilidades más frecuentes. Los síntomas que presentaron fueron la fiebre y cefalea en mayor número. La mayor número de casos provenía de los consejos populares urbanos, Vila y Las Brisas. Conclusiones: Aunque en el año analizado no fueron muchos los enfermos, es importante que la población cumpla las medidas sanitarias y de distanciamiento social para evitar el contagio.

ABSTRACT Background: COVID-19 is the disease that affects the entire world and is a health emergency. Knowing the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the patients is important to fight it. Objective: to describe the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 in Cumanayagua. Methods: a descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out that included the 14 positive cases diagnosed in 2020. With the data collected, a database was created, which was processed using the statistical package SPSS-PC version 25.0. The cases were collected according to epidemiological classification, age, sex, presence or absence of symptoms, comorbidity, source of infection, symptoms and places of residence from where the patients came. Results: the months of November and December were the ones with the highest reported cases, the native and imported cases behaved in the same way, those over 15 years of age predominated and there were no differences according to sex. Asymptomatic cases predominated. High blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and obesity were the most frequent comorbidities. The symptoms that presented were fever and headache in greater numbers. The largest number of cases came from the places of residence, Vila and Las Brisas. Conclusions: Although in the year analyzed there were not many patients, it is important that the population fulfill with health and social distancing measures to avoid contagion.

Study of a Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cell Using CZTS as HTL to Achieve a 20% PCE by SCAPS-1D Simulation.

In this paper, a n-i-p planar heterojunction simulation of Sn-based iodide perovskite solar cell (PSC) is proposed. The solar cell structure consists of a Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate on which titanium oxide (TiO2) is placed; this material will act as an electron transporting layer (ETL); then, we have the tin perovskite CH3NH3SnI3 (MASnI3) which is the absorber layer and next a copper zinc and tin sulfide (CZTS) that will have the function of a hole transporting layer (HTL). This material is used due to its simple synthesis process and band tuning, in addition to presenting good electrical properties and stability; it is also a low-cost and non-toxic inorganic material. Finally, gold (Au) is placed as a back contact. The lead-free perovskite solar cell was simulated using a Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS-1D). The simulations were performed under AM 1.5G light illumination and focused on getting the best efficiency of the solar cell proposed. The thickness of MASnI3 and CZTS, band gap of CZTS, operating temperature in the range between 250 K and 350 K, acceptor concentration and defect density of absorber layer were the parameters optimized in the solar cell device. The simulation results indicate that absorber thicknesses of 500 nm and 300 nm for CZTS are appropriate for the solar cell. Further, when optimum values of the acceptor density (NA) and defect density (Nt), 1016 cm-3 and 1014 cm-3, respectively, were used, the best electrical values were obtained: Jsc of 31.66 mA/cm2, Voc of 0.96 V, FF of 67% and PCE of 20.28%. Due to the enhanced performance parameters, the structure of the device could be used in applications for a solar energy harvesting system.

Exploring a Novel Multiple-Query Resistive Grid-Based Planning Method Applied to High-DOF Robotic Manipulators.

The applicability of the path planning strategy to robotic manipulators has been an exciting topic for researchers in the last few decades due to the large demand in the industrial sector and its enormous potential development for space, surgical, and pharmaceutical applications. The automation of high-degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulator robots is a challenging task due to the high redundancy in the end-effector position. Additionally, in the presence of obstacles in the workspace, the task becomes even more complicated. Therefore, for decades, the most common method of integrating a manipulator in an industrial automated process has been the demonstration technique through human operator intervention. Although it is a simple strategy, some drawbacks must be considered: first, the path's success, length, and execution time depend on operator experience; second, for a structured environment with few objects, the planning task is easy. However, for most typical industrial applications, the environments contain many obstacles, which poses challenges for planning a collision-free trajectory. In this paper, a multiple-query method capable of obtaining collision-free paths for high DOF manipulators with multiple surrounding obstacles is presented. The proposed method is inspired by the resistive grid-based planner method (RGBPM). Furthermore, several improvements are implemented to solve complex planning problems that cannot be handled by the original formulation. The most important features of the proposed planner are as follows: (1) the easy implementation of robotic manipulators with multiple degrees of freedom, (2) the ability to handle dozens of obstacles in the environment, (3) compatibility with various obstacle representations using mathematical models, (4) a new recycling of a previous simulation strategy to convert the RGBPM into a multiple-query planner, and (5) the capacity to handle large sparse matrices representing the configuration space. A numerical simulation was carried out to validate the proposed planning method's effectiveness for manipulators with three, five, and six DOFs on environments with dozens of surrounding obstacles. The case study results show the applicability of the proposed novel strategy in quickly computing new collision-free paths using the first execution data. Each new query requires less than 0.2 s for a 3 DOF manipulator in a configuration space free-modeled by a 7291 × 7291 sparse matrix and less than 30 s for five and six DOF manipulators in a configuration space free-modeled by 313,958 × 313,958 and 204,087 × 204,087 sparse matrices, respectively. Finally, a simulation was conducted to validate the proposed multiple-query RGBPM planner's efficacy in finding feasible paths without collision using a six-DOF manipulator (KUKA LBR iiwa 14R820) in a complex environment with dozens of surrounding obstacles.

Caracterización del personal de enfermería para contribuir al cumplimiento de los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible. Cumanayagua 2019 / Characterization of nursing personnel for the fulfillment of sustainable development objectives. Cumanayagua 2019

RESUMEN Fundamento: a nivel mundial se ha adoptado un conjunto de objetivos para erradicar la pobreza, proteger el planeta y asegurar la prosperidad para todas las personas. Se establecieron 17 objetivos de desarrollo sostenible. Objetivo: caracterizar al personal de enfermería para su contribución al cumplimiento de los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible. Métodos: estudio descriptivo de corte transversal sobre las características del personal de enfermería del municipio de Cumanayagua en la provincia de Cienfuegos. De un universo de 235 enfermeros/eras, se escogió una muestra a conveniencia conformada por 78 enfermeros/eras. Se analizó sexo, edad, años de experiencia (de graduados y en la labor actual), actividades que realizan. Resultados: la cobertura del municipio con personal de enfermería está sustentada en profesionales del sexo femenino, edades entre los 40 y 49 años y tiempo de experiencia en la práctica entre los 20 y 29 años. Entre las principales actividades que realizan están audiencias sanitarias para toda la comunidad, en especial para los grupos de personas mayores de 60 años y la población menor de 15 años; atención a círculos de abuelos, cobertura total del programa de vacunación, seguimiento a mujeres en edad fértil, intervención directa en los programas de salud establecidos, participación activa en la identificación, priorización y análisis causal de los principales problemas de salud. Poseen un largo período de actividad laboral en consultorios. Conclusiones: el personal de enfermería en el municipio de Cumanayagua se caracteriza por ejecutar acciones integrales que favorecen el cumplimiento de los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible y poseer suficiente experiencia para hacerlo con calidad.

ABSTRACT Foundation: Globally, a set of goals has been adopted to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all people. Seventeen sustainable development goals were established. Objective: to characterize nursing personnel for their contribution to the fulfillment of the sustainable development objectives. Methods: descriptive cross-sectional study on the nursing personnel´s characteristics from the municipality of Cumanayagua. Cienfuegos. From a universe of 235 nurses / ages, a sample of convenience consisting of 78 nurses / ages was chosen. Sex, age, years of experience (of graduates and in current work), activities they perform were analyzed. Results: municipal coverage with nursing personnel is supported by female professionals, aged between 40 and 49 years and experience in practice between 20 and 29 years. Among the main activities they carry out are health audiences for the entire community, especially for people over 60 and the population under 15; attention to elderly day care centers, full coverage of vaccination program, follow-up of childbearing age women, direct intervention in established health programs, active participation in identifying, prioritizing and causal analysis of the main health problems. They have a long period of work in family doctor´s offices. Conclusions: nursing personnel in the municipality of Cumanayagua are characterized by executing comprehensive actions that favor the fulfillment of the objectives of sustainable development and possessing sufficient experience to do so with quality.

Biocrusts buffer against the accumulation of soil metallic nutrients induced by warming and rainfall reduction.

The availability of metallic nutrients in dryland soils, many of which are essential for the metabolism of soil organisms and vascular plants, may be altered due to climate change-driven increases in aridity. Biocrusts, soil surface communities dominated by lichens, bryophytes and cyanobacteria, are ecosystem engineers known to exert critical functions in dryland ecosystems. However, their role in regulating metallic nutrient availability under climate change is uncertain. Here, we evaluated whether well-developed biocrusts modulate metallic nutrient availability in response to 7 years of experimental warming and rainfall reduction in a Mediterranean dryland located in southeastern Spain. We found increases in the availability of K, Mg, Zn and Na under warming and rainfall exclusion. However, the presence of a well-developed biocrust cover buffered these effects, most likely because its constituents can uptake significant quantities of available metallic nutrients. Our findings suggest that biocrusts, a biotic community prevalent in drylands, exert an important role in preserving and protecting metallic nutrients in dryland soils from leaching and erosion. Therefore, we highlight the need to protect them to mitigate undesired effects of soil degradation driven by climate change in this globally expanding biome.

Retos actuales de la profesión de enfermería: un enfoque ético y bioético / Current challenges of the nursing profession: an ethical and bioethical approach

RESUMEN En el terreno de la salud pública, la Bioética se hizo necesaria por el acelerado ritmo de los avances científicos y tecnológicos, la comercialización de la medicina, el peligro creciente de la deshumanización, la injusticia social y el acceso desigual a los servicios de salud. Actualmente, la nefasta repercusión social del neoliberalismo y la catastrófica tendencia a la deshumanización de la Medicina es un peligro que azota a los países subdesarrollados. La revisión bibliografía tuvo como propósito valorar los rasgos de deshumanización de los servicios de salud y su implicación en la formación de recursos humanos. Se revisaron conceptos, tendencias y retos presentes en la profesión de enfermería y en el trabajo de sus profesionales. Se encontró una estrecha relación entre el humanismo, ética, bioética y espiritualidad y su significado para mejorar cada vez más la labor como profesionales y técnicos de la salud. La enfermería moderna tiene la obligación de mantener los cuidados que han acompañado a la humanidad desde sus albores, pero hoy, constituida en una profesión con basamento científico, posee las suficientes potencialidades para brindar cuidados de más calidad y eficiencia al individuo sano o enfermo, a la comunidad y al entorno medio ambiental natural.

ABSTRACT In the field of public health, Bioethics became necessary due to the rapid pace of scientific and technological advances, the commercialization of medicine, the increasing danger of dehumanization, social injustice and unequal access to health services. Literature review had the purpose of assessing the dehumanization features of health services and their involvement in the formation of human resources. Concepts, trends and challenges present in the nursing profession were reviewed and in these professionals´ work. A close relationship was found between humanism, ethics, bioethics and spirituality and their meaning to increasingly improve work as health professionals and technicians. Modern nursing has the obligation to maintain the care that has accompanied humanity since its dawn, but today, constituted in a profession with scientific foundation, it has enough potential to provide more quality and efficient care to the healthy or sick individual, to the community and the natural environment.

La tutoría en la formación del futuro profesional de Enfermería / The tutorial in training of the Nursing future professional

RESUMEN Muchos de los profesionales de enfermería, en su labor docente, deben cumplir con la función de ser tutor, lo que rebasa los marcos de la mera trasmisión de conocimientos. La figura del tutor se erige como el eje fundamental en la concepción de la enseñanza tutorial; él tiene la importante misión de formar al enfermero, lo cual es un honor y un reto. El mentor debe formar al futuro profesional de manera integral y para ello su meta suprema es la formación y producción de conocimientos, habilidades, destrezas, actitudes y valores que promuevan el desarrollo de su desempeño. El objetivo de esta revisión es reflexionar sobre la labor del tutor en enfermería, sus cualidades y retos en los momentos actuales.

ABSTRACT Many of the nursing professionals, in their teaching work, should fulfill the function of being a tutor, which goes beyond the framework of the mere knowledge transmission. The figure of the tutor is established as the main axis in the tutorial teaching conception; He has the important mission of training the nurse, which is an honor and a challenge. The mentor must train the future professional in a comprehensively and for it, his highest goal is the formation and production of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that promote the development of his performance. The objective of this review is to reflect on the function of the nursing tutor, his qualities and challenges in the current times.

Algunas reflexiones sobre el análisis de la situación de salud / Some reflections on the health situation analysis

RESUMEN El análisis de la situación de salud permite caracterizar, medir y explicar el perfil de salud-enfermedad de una población, incluye los daños o problemas de salud, así como sus determinantes y tendencias. Permite identificar desigualdades en los riesgos, en los daños, así como evaluar las estrategias diseñadas para la solución de los problemas de salud. Sin embargo, en la práctica, no se ha convertido en un instrumento de uso cotidiano para el trabajo diario en la comunidad. El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar algunas reflexiones sobre el análisis de la situación de salud y los retos que aún enfrenta esta actividad en nuestro medio.

ABSTRACT The analysis of the health situation allows to characterize, measure and explain the health-illness profile of a population, including damages or health problems, as well as their determinants and trends. It promotes the identification of inequalities in risks, in damages, as well as evaluating the strategies designed for the solution of health problems. However, in practice, it has not become an instrument of daily use for daily work in the community. The objective of this work is to reflect on the health situation analysis and the challenges that this activity still faces in our environment.

Conformational characterization of a novel anti-HER2 candidate antibody.

Regulatory agencies establish that a broad physicochemical and biological characterization is necessary for the evaluation of comparability between a biosimilar candidate product and a reference commercial drug. Between them, conformational characterization of proteins is of vital importance to determine its folding and biological functions. In this work, the conformational features of a novel monoclonal antibody (called 5G4) were evaluated by means of circular dichroism spectroscopy and fluorescence. Secondary structure and thermal stability of mAbs were determined by circular dichroism in the far ultraviolet, while three-dimensional folding of proteins was analyzed by both circular dichroism in the near ultraviolet and intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence. In all experiments, Herceptin (Roche) was used as control. Both antibodies showed a composition of secondary structure predominantly of ß-sheets (55-56%) and thermal stability of ~ 75°C, suggesting structural similarity. The three-dimensional folding of proteins was also similar due to the absorption spectra of the aromatic residues and the emission wavelength maxima by fluorescence were comparable. The values of the fluorescence attenuation constant (Stern-Volmer constant) for increasing concentrations of acrylamide were also similar, suggesting a degree of exposure of tryptophan residues similar, although it was slightly decreased for Herceptin. Our data permit to consider that 5G4 monoclonal antibody showed similar conformational characteristics when compared with Herceptin.

Structure and functioning of dryland ecosystems in a changing world.

Understanding how drylands respond to ongoing environmental change is extremely important for global sustainability. Here we review how biotic attributes, climate, grazing pressure, land cover change and nitrogen deposition affect the functioning of drylands at multiple spatial scales. Our synthesis highlights the importance of biotic attributes (e.g. species richness) in maintaining fundamental ecosystem processes such as primary productivity, illustrate how N deposition and grazing pressure are impacting ecosystem functioning in drylands worldwide, and highlight the importance of the traits of woody species as drivers of their expansion in former grasslands. We also emphasize the role of attributes such as species richness and abundance in controlling the responses of ecosystem functioning to climate change. This knowledge is essential to guide conservation and restoration efforts in drylands, as biotic attributes can be actively managed at the local scale to increase ecosystem resilience to global change.