Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Five Nicaraguan Populations of Cedrela odorata L. (Meliaceae) using RAPD Markers

The goal of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of Nicaraguan populations of Cedrela odorata using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Thus, genomic DNA was isolated from leaf samples collected from ninety-two trees belonging to five Nicaraguan natural populations of C. odorata. The mean number of alleles per locus, effective number of alleles per locus, percentage of polymorphic loci, genetic diversity (He ) of Nei and diversity index (Ho ) of Shannon were estimated for each population assuming that the populations were in HardyWeinberg equilibrium. Total genetic diversity was partitioned in intrapopulational and interpopulational diversity using Nei’s genetic differentiation (GST) and through an Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA). The ΦST matrix was used to construct a dendrogram by the neighbor-joining method. According to values of both He and Ho , Esquipulas (Deparment of Matagalpa) presented the lowest diversity level; while La Trinidad (Department of Estelí) showed the highest diversity level. Genetic differentiation was calculated obtaining a GST value of 13.36%. AMOVA also showed a similar differentiation value ΦST =13.81%). Neighbour-joining dendrogram clustered the five populations in two groups, where the group formed by La Trinidad and El Refugio (Department of Granada) presented the biggest differentiation. Correlation between genetic and geographical distances was not found

El efecto de las intervenciones cambiarias: la experiencia colombiana 2004-2006

El objetivo de este artículo es medir el tamaño relativo de las intervenciones cambiarias realizadas en el periodo de la revaluación del peso, entre 2004 y 2006, y calcular la efectividad de éstas en cuanto a sus efectos sobre la media y la varianza del tipo de cambio nominal. La propuesta de un modelo de determinación del tipo de cambio, que parte del modelo de balance de portafolio, y el uso de un índice de intervención construido para el caso colombiano, permiten concluir que las intervenciones del Banco de la República, con miras a defender el régimen de flotación controlada, han tenido efectos pequeños y transitorios en el nivel y la varianza del tipo de cambio, presentando rezagos de varios días y siendo descontadas rápidamente por el mercadoThe object of this article is to measure the relative size of the exchange interventions made in the period of the peso revaluation, between 2004 and 2006, and to calculate the effectiveness of these by mean of its effects on the average and the variance of the exchange nominal rate. The proposal of a model of determination of the exchange nominal rate, that derive from the portfolio balance model, and the use of an intervention index constructed for the Colombian case, allow to conclude that the interventions of the Banco de la República, for defending the regime of managed flotation, have had small and transitory effects in the level and the variance of the exchange nominal rate, presenting lags of several days and being discounted quickly by the marketintervenciones esterilizadas, régimen cambiario, flotación controlada, mercado cambiario, tipo de cambio, modelo de portafolio

Analysis of ball interception velocity in futsal goalkeepers

Technology constitutes a support to sports training which has an influence on the preparation of the player. This article reports on the analysis of the ball interception velocity in futsal goalkeepers. For this, a tool was created based on inertial and magnetic sensors, and a contact platform which permitted the analysis of the interception velocity. Then, a procedure was designed to execute a number of tests and a series of trials were carried out to define the factors to be evaluated. After that, tests were applied to 10 goalkeepers from the Liga Colombiana de Fútbol de Salón (Colombian Futsal League), which would permit the measurement of the study variable. The anthropometric characteristics presented by the goalkeepers selected were similar according to age, weight and body mass index, allowing homogeneity in the samples. The results showed that 50% of the interceptions to the right of the goalkeeper had a Low velocity (between 30 and 75 km/h); 40% were Medium (between 75 and 119 Km/h) and 10% were Fast (more than 119 Km/h). In addition, with respect to velocity to the left of the goalkeeper, 40% were in the Low range (between 32 and 75 Km/h) and 60% in the Medium range (75 and 119 Km/h). These results show that the goalkeepers have a better velocity performance to their right. It can be concluded that the platform is a precise and ergonomic means to measure the ball interception velocity in goalkeepers

DS-UCAT: Sistema de diálogo multimodal y multilingüe para un entorno educativo

Actas de las IV Jornadas de Tecnología del Habla (JTH 2006)En este artículo presentamos un sistema de diálogo multimodal y multilingüe que estamos desarrollando para proporcionar asistencia a estudiantes y profesores en algunas de sus actividades habituales en un entorno educativo, p. e. en una Facultad de una Universidad. Tenemos previsto que además de interactuar con el usuario, el sistema pueda interactuar con el entorno en que éste se encuentra en un momento dado, el cual puede cambiar a lo largo de una interacción conforme el usuario se mueve dentro del centro educativo. El artículo describe la arquitectura del sistema, muestra cómo se realiza la interacción con la versión actual del mismo, y comenta cómo tenemos previsto utilizar técnicas de inteligencia ambiental para mejorar su funcionamiento.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, mediante el proyecto TIN2004-03140 Ubiquitous Collaborative Training

Experimental Evidence of Generation and Reception by a Transluminal Axisymmetric Shear Wave Elastography Prototype

Experimental evidence on testing a non-ultrasonic-based probe for a new approach in transluminal elastography was presented. The proposed modality generated shear waves by inducing oscillatory rotation on the lumen wall. Detection of the propagated waves was achieved at a set of receivers in mechanical contact with the lumen wall. The excitation element of the probe was an electromagnetic rotational actuator whilst the sensing element was comprised by a uniform anglewise arrangement of four piezoelectric receivers. The prototype was tested in two soft-tissue-mimicking phantoms that contained lumenlike conduits and stiffer inclusions. The shear wave speed of the different components of the phantoms was characterized using shear wave elastography. These values were used to estimate the time-of-flight of the expected reflections. Ultrafast ultrasound imaging, based on Loupas' algorithm, was used to estimate the displacement field in transversal planes to the lumenlike conduit and to compare against the readouts from the transluminal transmission-reception tests. Experimental observations between ultrafast imaging and the transluminal probe were in good agreement, and reflections due to the stiffer inclusions were detected by the transluminal probe. The obtained experimental evidence provided proof-of-concept for the transluminal elastography probe and encouraged further exploration of clinical applications

Discriminative power of EEG-based biomarkers in major depressive disorder: A systematic review

Currently, the diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) and its subtypes is mainly based on subjective assessments and self-reported measures. However, objective criteria as Electroencephalography (EEG) features would be helpful in detecting depressive states at early stages to prevent the worsening of the symptoms. Scientific community has widely investigated the effectiveness of EEG-based measures to discriminate between depressed and healthy subjects, with the aim to better understand the mechanisms behind the disorder and find biomarkers useful for diagnosis. This work offers a comprehensive review of the extant literature concerning the EEG-based biomarkers for MDD and its subtypes, and identify possible future directions for this line of research. Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science databases were researched following PRISMA’s guidelines. The initial papers’ screening was based on titles and abstracts; then full texts of the identified articles were examined, and a synthesis of findings was developed using tables and thematic analysis. After screening 1871 articles, 76 studies were identified as relevant and included in the systematic review. Reviewed markers include EEG frequency bands power, EEG asymmetry, ERP components, non-linear and functional connectivity measures. Results were discussed in relations to the different EEG measures assessed in the studies. Findings confirmed the effectiveness of those measures in discriminating between healthy and depressed subjects. However, the review highlights that the causal link between EEG measures and depressive subtypes needs to be further investigated and points out that some methodological issues need to be solved to enhance future research in this field

A synthetic-lethality RNAi screen reveals an ERK-mTOR co-targeting pro-apoptotic switch in PIK3CA+ oral cancers.

mTOR inhibition has emerged as a promising strategy for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) treatment. However, most targeted therapies ultimately develop resistance due to the activation of adaptive survival signaling mechanisms limiting the activity of targeted agents. Thus, co-targeting key adaptive mechanisms may enable more effective cancer cell killing. Here, we performed a synthetic lethality screen using shRNA libraries to identify druggable candidates for combinatorial signal inhibition. We found that the ERK pathway was the most highly represented. Combination of rapamycin with trametinib, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, demonstrated strong synergism in HNSCC-derived cells in vitro and in vivo, including HNSCC cells expressing the HRAS and PIK3CA oncogenes. Interestingly, cleaved caspase-3 was potently induced by the combination therapy in PIK3CA+ cells in vitro and tumor xenografts. Moreover, ectopic expression of PIK3CA mutations into PIK3CA- HNSCC cells sensitized them to the pro-apoptotic activity of the combination therapy. These findings indicate that co-targeting the mTOR/ERK pathways may provide a suitable precision strategy for HNSCC treatment. Moreover, PIK3CA+ HNSCC are particularly prone to undergo apoptosis after mTOR and ERK inhibition, thereby providing a potential biomarker of predictive value for the selection of patients that may benefit from this combination therapy