Electromagnetic Radiation Energy Harvesting – The Rectenna Based Approach

Botany & plant science

Plant vascular development: mechanisms and environmental regulation

[EN] Plant vascular development is a complex process culminating in the generation of xylem and phloem, the plant transporting conduits. Xylem and phloem arise from specialized stem cells collectively termed (pro)cambium. Once developed, xylem transports mainly water and mineral nutrients and phloem transports photoassimilates and signaling molecules. In the past few years, major advances have been made to characterize the molecular, genetic and physiological aspects that govern vascular development. However, less is known about how the environment re-shapes the process, which molecular mechanisms link environmental inputs with developmental outputs, which gene regulatory networks facilitate the genetic adaptation of vascular development to environmental niches, or how the first vascular cells appeared as an evolutionary innovation. In this review, we (1) summarize the current knowledge of the mechanisms involved in vascular development, focusing on the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, (2) describe the anatomical effect of specific environmental factors on the process, (3) speculate about the main entry points through which the molecular mechanisms controlling of the process might be altered by specific environmental factors, and (4) discuss future research which could identify the genetic factors underlying phenotypic plasticity of vascular development.Work in the authors' laboratories is supported by funds from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Universities (BIO2016-79147-R to JA, and BFU2016-80621-P to MAB). JA holds a Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2014-15752). We are deeply grateful to Debra Westall (Universitat Politecnica de Valencia) for revising the manuscript. Due to space limitations, not all relevant publications could be included in this review.Agustí, J.; Blazquez Rodriguez, MA. (2020). 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The Tramontane wind: dynamic diagnosis and Hirlam simulations

Ponencia presentada en: INM/WMO International Symposium on Cyclones and Hazardous Weather in the Mediterranean celebrado en Palma de Mallorca, del 14 al 17 de abril de 1997

Comparative transcriptional survey between laser-microdissected cells from laminar abscission zone and petiolar cortical tissue during ethylene-promoted abscission in citrus leaves

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Abscission is the cell separation process by which plants are able to shed organs. It has a great impact on the yield of most crop plants. At the same time, the process itself also constitutes an excellent model to study cell separation processes, since it occurs in concrete areas known as abscission zones (AZs) which are composed of a specific cell type. However, molecular approaches are generally hampered by the limited area and cell number constituting the AZ. Therefore, detailed studies at the resolution of cell type are of great relevance in order to accurately describe the process and to identify potential candidate genes for biotechnological applications.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Efficient protocols for the isolation of specific citrus cell types, namely laminar abscission zone (LAZ) and petiolar cortical (Pet) cells based on laser capture microdissection (LCM) and for RNA microextraction and amplification have been developed. A comparative transcriptome analysis between LAZ and Pet from citrus leaf explants subjected to an <it>in-vitro </it>24 h ethylene treatment was performed utilising microarray hybridization and analysis. Our analyses of gene functional classes differentially represented in ethylene-treated LAZ revealed an activation program dominated by the expression of genes associated with protein synthesis, protein fate, cell type differentiation, development and transcription. The extensive repertoire of genes associated with cell wall biosynthesis and metabolism strongly suggests that LAZ layers activate both catabolic and anabolic wall modification pathways during the abscission program. In addition, over-representation of particular members of different transcription factor families suggests important roles for these genes in the differentiation of the effective cell separation layer within the many layers contained in the citrus LAZ. Preferential expression of stress-related and defensive genes in Pet reveals that this tissue is likely to be reprogrammed to prevent pathogen attacks and general abiotic stresses after organ shedding.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The LCM-based data generated in this survey represent the most accurate description of the main biological processes and genes involved in organ abscission in citrus. This study provides novel molecular insight into ethylene-promoted leaf abscission and identifies new putative target genes for characterization and manipulation of organ abscission in citrus.</p

Evidence-based guidelines for hypofractionated radiation in breast cancer: conclusions of the Catalan expert working group

Breast cancer; Hypofractionation; RadiotherapyCàncer de mama; Hipofraccionament; RadioteràpiaCáncer de mama; Hipofraccionamiento; RadioterapiaIntroduction Daily, moderate hypofractionation has become standard treatment for breast cancer following breast-conserving surgery, although substantial variation exists in its use. This paper describes the generation of consensus-based recommendations for the utilisation of this therapy at the healthcare system level and compares these to American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) guidelines. Materials and methods Consensus-based guidelines were developed in three steps, including a systematic literature review and involvement of radiation oncologists specialising in breast cancer in Catalonia: (a) creation of a working group and evidence review; (b) consideration of the levels of evidence and agreement on the formulation of survey questions; and (c) performance of survey and development of consensus-based recommendations. Results were compared to the ASTRO recommendations. Results Consensus was above 80% for 10 of the 14 survey items. Experts supported hypofractionated radiotherapy for all breast cancer patients aged 40 years or more; with invasive carcinoma and breast-conserving surgery; without radiation of lymph nodes; and regardless of the tumour size, histological grade, molecular subtype, breast size, laterality, other treatment characteristics, or need for a boost. Over half favoured its use in all situations, even where available scientific evidence is insufficient. The resulting recommendations and the quality of the evidence are comparable to those from ASTRO, despite some differences in the degree of consensus. Conclusion Specialists agree that hypofractionation is the standard treatment for breast cancer following breast-conserving surgery, but some specific areas require a higher level of evidence before unequivocally extending indications.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature

TransFeatEx: a NLP pipeline for feature extraction

Mobile app stores provide centralized access to a large data set of mobile app related natural language textual data, including developer’s documentation (e.g., descriptions, changelogs) and user-generated data (e.g., user reviews). Motivated by this context, multiple studies have focused on data-driven elicitation processes for the automatic extraction of the set of features exposed by a catalogue of applications and the inferred, extended knowledge that can be derived from this information. Moreover, with the emerging and generalization of large language models, traditional linguistic-based approaches can be significantly improved by the potential of the knowledge embedded in this kind of models. In this paper, we present TransFeatEx, a NLP-based feature extraction pipeline that combines the use of a RoBERTa-based model with the application of consolidated syntactic and semantic techniques. The pipeline is designed as a customizable, standalone service to be used either as a playground, experimentation tool or as a software component to be embedded into a third-party software system for batch-processing large document corpora. An example of a demo plan is showcased here: https://youtu.be/gfFyi_i_uTwWith the support from the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Ministry of Business and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia and the European Social Fund. This paper has been funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación under project / funding scheme PID2020-117191RB-I00 / AEI/10.13039/501100011033.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Teledocencia en 3º ESO. Unidad didáctica: Finanzas básicas

El COVID-19 ha causado un importante impacto en la educación, afectando tanto a docentes y centros educativos, como a los estudiantes y sus familias. El cierre de los centros ha obligado a desarrollar con rapidez nuevas formas de garantizar el derecho a la educación. Ello ha requerido la búsqueda de nuevas metodologías y la aplicación de soluciones innovadoras para poder impartir las clases virtualmente, con el fin de garantizar un aprendizaje significativo. El propósito de este documento es ejemplificar el diseño y la implementación de una unidad didáctica impartida durante el periodo de confinamiento con la teledocencia, y adaptada a un contexto determinado. Se trata de la programación de una unidad didáctica perteneciente al último bloque de la materia de Iniciación a la Actividad Emprendedora y Empresarial de 3º ESO, Finanzas. Se mostrará el diseño y organización completa de cómo ha sido impartida dicha unidad didáctica, Finanzas Básicas, con el fin de potenciar el aprendizaje online. Para ello, se hará referencia a su relación con la materia, alumnado al que va dirigido, a la metodología y actividades llevadas a cabo, al modo de evaluar, y a la integración de las TIC, entre otros aspectos. Por último, se mostrará una pequeña reflexión sobre las implicaciones que he experimentado sobre el aprendizaje a distancia durante mi segundo periodo de prácticas en el Colegio Santa Ana de Fraga (Huesca). <br /

L'ús de les carpetes d'aprenentatge virtuals (cavi) en cinc assignatures de cinc departaments a la UAB. Primeres aproximacions d'una innovació docent

La comunicació parteix d'un projecte d'innovació docent on es troben involucrats professors de la UAB de diferents àrees de coneixement i interessats per les carpetes virtuals d'aprenentatge (CAVI) a l'educació superior (més conegudes com a e-portfolio de l'estudiant). Entre aquests professors, hi ha tres docents de la Facultat de Ciències de l'Educació (CCEE), un de l'Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria (ETSE) i un de Veterinària. La finalitat d'aquest projecte és desenvolupar diferents CAVI com a eina d'aprenentatge i d'avaluació de l'estudiant. En aquest desenvolupament, els instruments que s'han dissenyat han estat: un qüestionari inicial, sobre experiències prèvies dels estudiants amb l'ús de carpetes d'Ap; els índexs de les respectives carpetes d'ap; un qüestionari final, sobre les percepcions, opinions i valoracions dels estudiants. El conjunt d'actuacions d'aquest treball està sent un procés emergent, progressiu i flexible, fruit de la interacció entre la teoria construïda i la pràctica observada i analitzada al llarg del curs. El diàleg permanent entre l'una i l'altra ens està guiant la presa de decisions i la reconstrucció constant i permanent del procés de cadascuna de les assignatures que s'han desenvolupat dins el marc d'aquesta innovació. Actualment, estem en l'anàlisi de totes les dades per comprovar si l'ús de les CAVI com a eina d'avaluació ha millorat alguns dels aspectes plantejats a l'inici del projecte (l'aprenentatge autònom, la comunicació i participació, la gestió del treball i el control del temps, el treball cooperatiu, l'autoregulació, la reflexió crítica, la relació entre coneix., l'assoliment de competències d'alt nivell, l'ús adequat de les TIC, l'organització i estructuració de la informació rebuda i del coneixement construït...).This communication results from a teaching innovation project, in which professors from different fields of knowledge in the UAB (Barcelona Autonomous University), share their interest in electronic learning portfolios within Higher Education, also called student's e-portfolio. Among these professors, there are three teachers from the Faculty of Education, one from the Superior Technical School of Engineers and another one from the School of Veterinary Medicine. The aim of this project is to develop different electronic learning portfolios (CAVI) as a tool for students' learning and assessment. Throughout this process, the tools being designed have been the following: a) the initial questionnaire (about students' previous experiences in portfolio's usage), b) the indexes of the different portfolios according to the subject matter and, c) the final questionnaire (about general perceptions, opinions and students' suggestions). The whole implementation of this work is gradually taking place and it is continuous, flexible and results from the interaction of the constructed theory and the observed practice, which we analyse throughout the whole academic year. Thus, the permanent dialogue between these two essential items (theory and practice) is guiding us into taking decisions and continuously reconstructing the process each and every of the subjects involved in this innovation project undergoes. Nowadays, we are analysing all the data collected during our experimentation to check whether the use of e-learning portfolios as an assessment tool has improved some of the aspects considered at the beginning of the project (autonomous learning, communication and participation of students/teachers, work management, time control, cooperative work, selfassessment, critical thinking, high level competences accomplishment, proper use of CIT (Communication and Information Technology), organization and structuring of the received information and the constructed knowledge, etc.)

Programa de Educación para el Desarrollo en la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

La ponencia expone el marco en el que nace el plan de Educación Para el Desarrollo, EPD, en la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC, que tiene el objetivo de plantear estrategias universitarias que apoyen la creación de una sociedad sin desigualdades, centradas en el cambio de mentalidad en la comunidad universitaria y en las empresas. Esto se lleva a cabo desde la docencia, proporcionando una formación integral a los futuros profesionales, políticos y empresarios, basada en valores como la solidaridad o la justicia, y promoviendo una definición del perfil de los titula dos que fomente el conocimiento y la valoración del impacto ambiental, social y ético de las decisiones y acciones que se desarrollan profesionalmente. Se quiere que la universidad lidere la investigación en las áreas del desarrollo humano, la cooperación internacional, las tecnologías apropiadas, la sostenibilidad y el medio ambiente que le son propias, favoreciendo el trabajo pluridisciplinar, de forma que se propicien análisis conjuntos de estas áreas. Se buscará una transferencia del conocimiento y valo res éticos, impulsando el trabajo conjunto de la universidad con las demás instituciones de su entorno vinculadas con el desarrollo humano. Finalmente, en la gestión, se incentivarán las acciones antes mencionadas de forma integrada con el conjunto de meca nismos de funcionamiento de la universidad.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Early gene expression events in the laminar abscission zone of abscission-promoted citrus leaves after a cycleof water stress/rehydration: involvement of CitbHLH1

[EN] Leaf abscission is a common response of plants to drought stress. Some species, such as citrus, have evolved a specific behaviour in this respect, keeping their leaves attached to the plant body during water stress until this is released by irrigation or rain. This study successfully reproduced this phenomenon under controlled conditions (24h of water stress followed by 24h of rehydration) and used it to construct a suppression subtractive hybridization cDNA library enriched in genes involved in the early stages of rehydration-promoted leaf abscission after water stress. Sequencing of the library yielded 314 unigenes, which were spotted onto nylon membranes. Membrane hybridization with petiole (Pet)- and laminar abscission zone (LAZ)-enriched RNA samples corresponding to early steps in leaf abscission revealed an almost exclusive preferential gene expression programme in the LAZ. The data identified major processes such as protein metabolism, cell-wall modification, signalling, control of transcription and vesicle production, and transport as the main biological processes activated in LAZs during the early steps of rehydration-promoted leaf abscission after water stress. Based on these findings, a model for the early steps of citrus leaf abscission is proposed. In addition, it is suggested that CitbHLH1, the putative citrus orthologue of Arabidopsis BIGPETAL, may play major roles in the control of abscission-related events in citrus abscission zonesWork at the Centre de Genomica was supported by INIA grant RTA08-00065-00-00 and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion-FEDER grants AGL2007-65437-C04-01, PSG-06-0000-2009-8, IPT-01-0000-2010-43, and AGL2011-30240. J.A. and P. M. were recipients of INIA predoctoral fellowships and M. C. and A. C. of INIA/CCAA and 'Ramon y Cajal' postdoctoral contracts, respectively. The help and expertise of E. Blazquez, I. Sanchis, and A. Boix are gratefully acknowledged.Agustí, J.; Gimeno, J.; Merelo, P.; Serrano Salom, R.; Cercós, M.; Conesa, A.; Talón, M.... (2012). Early gene expression events in the laminar abscission zone of abscission-promoted citrus leaves after a cycleof water stress/rehydration: involvement of CitbHLH1. Journal of Experimental Botany. 63:6079-6091. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ers270S607960916