A Circuit Implementing Massive Parallelism in Transition P Systems

ransition P-systems are based on biological membranes and try to emulate cell behavior and its evolution due to the presence of chemical elements. These systems perform computation through transition between two consecutive configurations, which consist in a m-tuple of multisets present at any moment in the existing m regions of the system. Transition between two configurations is performed by using evolution rules also present in each region. Among main Transition P-systems characteristics are massive parallelism and non determinism. This work is part of a very large project and tries to determine the design of a hardware circuit that can improve remarkably the process involved in the evolution of a membrane. Process in biological cells has two different levels of parallelism: the first one, obviously, is the evolution of each cell inside the whole set, and the second one is the application of the rules inside one membrane. This paper presents an evolution of the work done previously and includes an improvement that uses massive parallelism to do transition between two states. To achieve this, the initial set of rules is transformed into a new set that consists in all their possible combinations, and each of them is treated like a new rule (participant antecedents are added to generate a new multiset), converting an unique rule application in a way of parallelism in the means that several rules are applied at the same time. In this paper, we present a circuit that is able to process this kind of rules and to decode the result, taking advantage of all the potential that hardware has to implement P Systems versus previously proposed sequential solutions

Programación didáctica de 2º Bachillerato. Asignatura: Fundamentos de Gestión y Administración. Unidad Didáctica: Gestión de las necesidades de Inversión y Financiación

Máster Univ. en Formación del Profes. en E.S.O., Bachillerato, F.P. y E.Ii

Outflow of hot and cold molecular gas from the obscured secondary nucleus of NGC3256: closing in on feedback physics

The nuclei of merging galaxies are often deeply buried in dense layers of gas and dust. In these regions, gas outflows driven by starburst and AGN activity are believed to play a crucial role in the evolution of these galaxies. However, to fully understand this process it is essential to resolve the morphology and kinematics of such outflows. Using near-IR integral-field spectroscopy obtained with VLT/SINFONI, we detect a kpc-scale structure of high-velocity molecular hydrogen (H2) gas associated with the deeply buried secondary nucleus of the IR-luminous merger NGC3256. We show that this structure is likely the hot component of a molecular outflow, which is detected also in the cold molecular gas by Sakamoto et al. This outflow, with a molecular gas mass of M(H2)~2x10^7 Msun, is among the first to be spatially resolved in both the hot H2 gas with VLT/SINFONI and the cold CO-emitting gas with ALMA. The hot and cold components share a similar morphology and kinematics, with a hot-to-cold molecular gas mass ratio of ~6x10^-5. The high (~100 pc) resolution at which we map the geometry and velocity structure of the hot outflow reveals a biconical morphology with opening angle ~40 deg and gas spread across a FWZI~1200 km/s. Because this collimated outflow is oriented close to the plane of the sky, the molecular gas may reach maximum intrinsic outflow velocities of ~1800 km/s, with an average mass outflow rate of at least ~20 Msun/yr. By modeling the line-ratios of various near-IR H2 transitions, we show that the H2 gas in the outflow is heated through shocks or X-rays to a temperature of ~1900K. The energy needed to drive the outflow is likely provided by a hidden Compton-thick AGN or by the nuclear starburst. We show that the global kinematics of the molecular outflow in NGC3256 mimic those of CO-outflows that have been observed at low spatial resolution in starburst- and active galaxies.Comment: Accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics (accepted 29 Aug 2014 v.3, initial submission v.1 14 March 2014), 13 pages, 8 figure

A Role for Pre-mRNA-PROCESSING PROTEIN 40C in the Control of Growth, Development, and Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Because of their sessile nature, plants have adopted varied strategies for growing and reproducing in an ever-changing environment. Control of mRNA levels and pre-mRNA alternative splicing are key regulatory layers that contribute to adjust and synchronize plant growth and development with environmental changes. Transcription and alternative splicing are thought to be tightly linked and coordinated, at least in part, through a network of transcriptional and splicing regulatory factors that interact with the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. One of the proteins that has been shown to play such a role in yeast and mammals is pre-mRNA-PROCESSING PROTEIN 40 (PRP40, also known as CA150, or TCERG1). In plants, members of the PRP40 family have been identified and shown to interact with the CTD of RNA Pol II, but their biological functions remain unknown. Here, we studied the role of AtPRP40C, in Arabidopsis thaliana growth, development and stress tolerance, as well as its impact on the global regulation of gene expression programs. We found that the prp40c knockout mutants display a late-flowering phenotype under long day conditions, associated with minor alterations in red light signaling. An RNA-seq based transcriptome analysis revealed differentially expressed genes related to biotic stress responses and also differentially expressed as well as differentially spliced genes associated with abiotic stress responses. Indeed, the characterization of stress responses in prp40c mutants revealed an increased sensitivity to salt stress and an enhanced tolerance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola (Psm) infections. This constitutes the most thorough analysis of the transcriptome of a prp40 mutant in any organism, as well as the first characterization of the molecular and physiological roles of a member of the PRP40 protein family in plants. Our results suggest that PRP40C is an important factor linking the regulation of gene expression programs to the modulation of plant growth, development, and stress responses.Fil: Hernando, Carlos Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: García Hourquet, Mariano. Fundación Instituto Leloir; ArgentinaFil: de Leone, María José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Careno, Daniel Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Iserte, Javier Alonso. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Mora Garcia, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Yanovsky, Marcelo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Strong lithium lines in red supergiants at different metallicities

Current models of stellar evolution predict that stars more massive than $\sim6\:$M$_{\odot}$ should have completely depleted all lithium (Li) in their atmospheres by the time when they reach the He core burning phase. Against this, a non-negligible number of red giants with masses $>6\:$M$_{\odot}$ presenting strong Li lines have recently been reported. Motivated by this finding, we have carried out a spectroscopic survey of red supergiants (RSGs) in the Perseus Arm and a selection of young open clusters in the Magellanic Clouds to assess the presence of the Li I $\lambda$6708 doublet line. Based on a sample of >70 objects, close to one third of RSGs in the Perseus Arm display noticeable Li lines, with perhaps a trend towards a lower fraction among more luminous stars. The samples in the Magellanic Clouds are not as large, but hint at a metallicity dependence. Twenty one RSGs in 5 LMC clusters show a very high fraction of Li detection, around 40%. Conversely, 17 RSGs in 5 SMC clusters give only one secure detection. The interpretation of these observational results is not straightforward, but a mechanism for Li production seems most likely. Further characterisation work is ongoing, while theoretical studies into this matter are urgently needed.Comment: Accepted in proceedings for IAU Symposium 361: Massive Stars Near and Far, held in Ballyconnell, Ireland, 9-13 May 2022. N. St-Louis, J. S. Vink & J. Mackey, ed

Análisis empírico del papel de las competencias generales en el marco de los estudios superiores

En plena implantación de los nuevos planes de estudio de acuerdo al EEES, las universidades se enfrentan a un nuevo modelo educativo basado en competencias: competencias específicas y competencias generales. Las competencias específicas están asociadas a la adquisición y desarrollo de conocimientos de un área en particular, mientras que las competencias generales son transversales al plan de estudios y definen capacidades, habilidades y/o aptitudes que el alumno debe desarrollar para aplicarlas a lo largo de su carrera profesional. El objetivo de este trabajo es proporcionar una guía al docente sobre las posibles mejoras para tratar el mayor número de competencias generales satisfactoriamente. Concretamente, se ha analizado la manera en la que los docentes están promoviendo y desarrollando las competencias generales con el objetivo de detectar carencias, mejoras y necesidades. El análisis se ha realizado sobre el profesorado de la Titulación de Graduado en Ingeniería del Software de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.Peer Reviewe

Three open clusters containing Cepheids: NGC 6649, NGC 6664, and Berkeley 55

Classical Cepheids in open clusters play an important role in benchmarking stellar evolution models, in addition to anchoring the cosmic distance scale and invariably securing the Hubble constant. Three pertinent clusters hosting classical Cepheids and red (super)giants are: NGC 6649, NGC 6664, and Berkeley 55. These clusters form the basis of analysis to assess newly acquired spectra (≈50), archival photometry, and Gaia DR2 data. Importantly, for the first time chemical abundances were determined for the evolved members of NGC 6649 and NGC 6664. We find that they are slightly metal-poor relative to the mean Galactic gradient. Also, an overabundance of Ba is observed. These two clusters likely belong to the thin disc and the latter finding supports the “s-enhanced” scenario of D’Orazi et al. (2009). NGC 6664 and Berkeley 55 exhibit radial velocities consistent with Galactic rotation, while NGC 6649 displays a peculiar velocity. The resulting age estimates for the clusters (≈70 Ma) imply masses of ≈6 M⊙ for the (super)giant demographic. Lastly, the observed yellow-to-red (super)giant ratio is lower than expected and the overall differences that are relative to the models reflect the outstanding theoretical uncertainties.This research is partially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación under grants AYA2015-68012-C2-2-P and PGC2018-093741-BC21/C22 (MICI/AEI/FEDER, UE). The authors acknowledge financial support from the FCT – Fundação para aCiência e a Tecnologia through national funds (PTDC/FIS-AST/28953/2017) and by FEDER – Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028953)

VLT-SINFONI sub-kpc study of the star formation in local LIRGs and ULIRGs: Analysis of the global ΣSFR\Sigma_{\rm SFR} structure and characterisation of individual star-forming clumps

We present a 2D study of star formation at kpc and sub-kpc scales of a sample of local (z<0.1) U/LIRGs, based on near-IR VLT-SINFONI observations. We obtained integrated measurements of the star formation rate (SFR) and star formation rate surface density, together with their 2D distributions, based on Br_gamma and Pa_alpha emission. We observe a tight linear correlation between the SFR derived from our extinction-corrected measurements and that derived from 24 micron data, and a reasonable agreement with SFR derived from total IR luminosity. Our near-IR measurements are on average a factor 3 larger than optical SFR, even when extinction corrections are applied. We found that LIRGs have a median-observed star formation rate surface density of 1.72 Msun/yr/kpc^2 for the extinction-corrected distribution, whilst ULIRGs have 0.23 Msun/yr/kpc^2, respectively. These median values for ULIRGs increase up to 2.90 Msun/yr/kpc^2, when only their inner regions, covering the same size as the average FoV of LIRGs, are considered. We identified a total of 95 individual SF clumps in our sample, with sizes within 60-1500pc, and extinction-corrected Pa_alpha luminosities of 10^5-10^8 Lsun. Star-forming clumps in LIRGs are about ten times larger and thousands of times more luminous than typical clumps in spiral galaxies. Clumps in ULIRGs have sizes similar (x0.5-1) to those of high-z clumps, having Pa_alpha luminosities similar to some high-z clumps, and about 10 times less luminous than the most luminous high-z clumps identified so far. We also observed a change in the slope of the L-r relation. A likely explanation is that most luminous galaxies are interacting and merging, and therefore their size represents a combination of the distribution of the star-forming clumps within each galaxy in the system plus the effect of the projected distance.Comment: 27 pages, 27 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. Abstract abridged due to arXiv requirement

Mobile Learning in Pre-Service Teacher Education: Perceived Usefulness of AR Technology in Primary Education

Mobile learning is a resource that can enhance the teaching-learning process of students and improve the training of future teachers. Specifically, augmented reality (AR) technology allows for immersive and experiential learning without the need to leave the classroom. The purposes of this paper were to apply AR technology in the training of future Primary Education teachers and to analyze the perceived usefulness of AR in the classroom by future teachers. A quantitative approach was used based on a design with a control group and two experimental groups with a post-test using a sample of 171 second-year students studying an education degree. The results showed that experimentation with AR promoted a slight increase in student motivation. However, no significant differences were found between the control group and the experimental groups. Finally, the findings allowed us to establish that the implementation of resources such as AR does not differ in the opinion of future teachers about the inclination to implement AR in the classroom

Track and field: didactic proposal for its integration in primary education

Este artículo recoge una propuesta didáctica elaborada para integrar el atletismo en pista en el penúltimo curso de Educación Primaria. El objetivo era acercar el atletismo en pista a todo el alumnado de forma inclusiva e universal, cuando esté cursando el quinto curso de la Educación Primaria. El método combina el diseño de una Unidad Didáctica para implementar en el quinto curso de Primaria, como fase previa a la participación en una competición deportiva de atletismo en pista por grupos/clase y no por categorías de edad, así como un plan de formación del profesorado. Su aplicación a modo de estudio piloto se ha realizado en 34 centros educativos de 18 ayuntamientos de la provincia de Pontevedra (Galicia), participando un total de 868 escolares de 5º de primaria y 131 docentes. A la vista de la alta participación, parece que esta metodología puede ser una interesante forma de enseñar al alumnado contenidos específicos de iniciación deportiva, a la vez que desarrollan habilidades motrices necesarias en su desarrollo motor, y al mismo tiempo que se acercan a la práctica deportiva real, sin un componente competitivo prioritarioThis article contains a didactic proposal developed to integrate track and field in the penultimate course of Primary Education. The objective was to present track and field in an inclusive and universal way so for the whole population of students enrolled in the fifth year of Primary Education to become interested in it. The method combines the design of a Didactic Unit to be implemented in the fifth year of Primary Education prior to participate in a track and field competition with a categorization based on class groups rather than age, as well as a teacher training plan. The pilot study was carried out in 34 schools from 18 towns in the province of Pontevedra (Galicia), with a total of 868 schoolchildren from 5th grade of primary education and 131 teachers. Considering participants’ high engagement, it seems that this methodology could represent an interesting way to teach students about specific contents of introduction to sports, as they develop motor skills needed for their motor development at the same time as they get experience in authentic sports practices with no emphasis on the competitive componentS