Arsènic i cèl·lules mare, és el càncer el destí d'aquesta relació? (Premi Aposta UAB 2011)

L'arsènic causa càncer de pell, de bufeta, de pulmó, de fetge i de ronyó. No obstant això, més de 200 milions de persones al món segueixen exposades a l'arsènic que, de manera natural, es troba present en el sòl i l'aigua de moltes regions. A més, l'arsènic s'usa en determinats compostos terapèutics. Aquest projecte reconegut amb un Premi Aposta de la UAB en la seva primera edició pretén determinar quina relació té l'arsènic amb l'aparició de cèl·lules mare canceroses, capaces de generar un tumor, a partir de cèl·lules mare normals (investigació d'interès en cas d'embaràs, ja que l'arsènic travessa la placenta) i a partir de cèl·lules adultes dels teixits (estudi que condicionaria l'ús d'arsènic en medicaments).Al arsénico causa cáncer de piel, vejiga, pulmón, hígado y riñón. Sin embargo, más de 200 millones de personas en el mundo siguen expuestas al arsénico que de manera natural se encuentra presente en el suelo y el agua de muchas regiones. Además, el arsénico también se usa en determinados compuestos terapéuticos. Este proyecto reconocido con un Premio Aposta de la UAB en su primera edición pretende determinar qué relación tiene el arsénico con la aparición de células madre cancerosas, capaces de generar un tumor, a partir de células madre normales (de gran interés en caso de embarazo, pues el arsénico atraviesa la placenta) i a partir de células adultas de los tejidos (lo que condicionaría el uso de arsénico en medicamentos)

Análisis de los convertidores de electrónica de potencia a través de una interfaz de MATLAB

Durante muchos años han existido la necesidad de controlar la potencia eléctrica de los sistemas de alta tensión, por lo que se creó la electrónica de potencia, la cual es una rama que combina: La energía, la electrónica y el control que relaciona los equipos de potencia estáticos y rotativos, para la generación, transmisión y distribución de la energía eléctrica con la microelectrónica a través de dispositivos de estado sólido. La electrónica de potencia en los últimos años ha presentado un gran desarrollo en campo de la energía eléctrica debido a que su objetivo es procesar y controlar el flujo de energía eléctrica mediante el suministro de tensiones y corrientes de forma óptima para las cargas [1], [2] y [3]. Debido a la inclusión de esta rama en los desarrollos tecnológicos y el sector energético, resulta necesario el estudio de los convertidores de electrónica de potencia. Para ello se diseñó una interfaz que tiene como objetivo realizar el análisis de las diferentes topologías de los circuitos convertidores de forma clara y sencilla, en donde el usuario podrá verificar los análisis matemáticos y algebraicos con los resultados obtenidos en la simulación. Para el diseño de esta interfaz se utilizó el toolbox guide de MATLAB

La gloriosa jornada del 11 de noviembre de 1811

Conmemora la república el sesquicentenario de la declaratoria de Independencia absoluta de España de la ilustre ciudad de Cartagena y su provincia. La historia patria registra en sus anales reiterados hechos gloriosos ocurridos en el recinto de la primera plaza militar española de América, ciudad murada que, a los largo de tres centurias de dominación hispánica, fue teatro de sucesos inolvidables en defensa del poderío metropolitano, hasta merecer el dictado de Heroica

Vitiligo-like lesions located over In-transit metastases of malignant melanoma as a clinical marker of complete response to pembrolizumab.

Anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1 therapies in metastatic tumors have a high incidence of immune adverse events, including cutaneous manifestations such as vitiligo-like lesions. This side effect is associated with increased survival and it is a clinical marker of response to treatment. This case report is a graphic representation of the appearance of vitiligo-like lesions over in-transit metastases of malignant melanoma linked to a complete response to treatment with pembrolizumab

Public participation and the role of social networks in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Spain

The Water Framework Directive establishes a common framework for EU water policy. One of its guiding principles is the promotion of public participation in water planning and management. In response to this requirement, River Basin Authorities are undertaking public participation and consultation processes as part of the elaboration of the Draft Basin Management Plans. This article describes and analyzes these processes, placing them in the context of wider public discussions and debates over water policy that have taken place in Spain over the past two decades. The paper argues that some of the strengths of Spanish WFD-related public participation processes derive from the significant improvement in the amount of information made available to the public, and from the relationships that are established between different stakeholder groups and between these and the water administration. On the other hand, the lack of credibility and legitimacy of some processes is related to the lack of political leadership and commitment to public participation, to insufficient inter-administrative cooperation, and to the persistence of parallel channels of communication between traditional water users and water managers. The paper also points to some potential areas of improvement such as the methodological design of public participation processes, a clarification of their impact on specific plans and proposals, and a search for tools to adequately inform and incorporate the wider public in water policy debates. Finally, the paper discusses the role that social networks, built around the ideas and goals of the New Water Culture, are playing in water policy debates by demanding more transparent and sustainable water policy decision making.Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua. Universidad de Zaragoza

El tejido interactivo de la organización laboral : la dualidad formal-informal

El trabajo argumenta un conjunto de reflexiones teóricas que validan el papel y la importancia del estudio de la informalidad para entender el funcionamiento organizacional. A partir de la dualidad esencial de las Organizaciones como sistemas funcionales y humanos la informalidad se presenta como una clave para entender el lado humano de la Organización. Visualizándola a su vez como un gran tejido interactivo que engloba un conjunto de redes sociales interconectadas, podemos ganar una nueva y más compleja comprensión de la dinámica humana y la forma en que se vincula a la dinámica funcional

The Impact of Individual Relationships on Performance and Reformation of R&D Alliances

Purpose: To examine how trust, conflict, commitment and communication affect R&D alliance performance, the individual’s satisfaction with the alliance and their intention to collaborate with the same partners in the future. Design/methodology/approach: Empirical research. Findings: Trust, conflict, commitment and communication are positively related to alliance performance, although trust and communication are the characteristics with the strongest fit. In addition, successful alliances influence positively on individual satisfaction and raise the willingness to reform the alliance with the existing alliance members. Originality/value: This study has enriched current understanding of the relationship among individual relations, alliance performance and reformation in R&D alliances

Las Artes Plásticas como medio articulador del currículo escolar

This article recounts a teacher's experience who integrates the curriculum, through the correlation of elements of plastic art with other subjects such as Math, Science, Social Studies and Spanish. This experience was developed in a Costa Rican rural school.Recibido 2 de noviembre de 2006 • Aprobado 30 de noviembre de 2006   Este ensayo se basa en la experiencia realizada por una maestra, en la cual integra el currículum, correlacionando las disciplinas de la matemática, ciencias, estudios sociales y español a través de los elementos del lenguaje plástico. La experiencia se desarrolló en una escuela rural costarricense.     &nbsp

Isolation of a novel bacterial degrader strain from a contaminated soil by the insecticide chlorpyrifos, using the enrichment culture technique

Motivation: The use of pesticides in the modern agriculture has meant an improvement in the conditions and production of crops. However, the continuous use has led to contamination problems in soils, water and sediments affected by its application. One of the pesticides widely used to fight against insect pests is the chlorpyrifos. This organophosphate pesticide produces a metabolite known as triclhoro-2-pyridinol (TCP) which presents a high toxicity increasing the risk of environmental toxicity. The current study was carried out to assess the effect of native microorganisms from an agricultural soil contaminated by chlorpyrifos in the bioremediation of soils contaminated with this pesticide.  Methods: The soil sample was collected from a private property where chlorpyrifos was commonly used that was located in Roche, in the southern Cadiz. In order to isolate degrading bacterial strains from the soil treated with chlorpyrifos, enrichment technique with mineral salt medium (MSM), a nutrients solution and using the insecticide as the only carbon source was employed. Subsequently, potential CLP bacteria strains degraders were isolated from the microbial consortium, initially isolated. Biological oxygen demand (BOD) assays were performed with the aim of determining which bacterial strains were capable to biodegrade chlorpyrifos. Once the BOD results were obtained, the samples were analysed by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to measure the insecticide concentration present in the solution, after the assay.Results:  A total of 21 bacterial strains were isolated from the enrichment mediums. From these strains, nine of them reached values of 50 mg O2 L-1 in BOD assays. These values were relevant to continue with the analysis of the solution from the samples in the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The degradation studies with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry where the concentration of supernatants from the BOD assays were analysed with the 197-ion extraction, indicated that R13A strain was able to degrade 70% of chlorpyrifos within 384 hours.Conclusions: In the present work, the effect of microbial population in the treatment of a soil that had received continuous applications of chlorpyrifos was determined. The R13A strain isolated from soil has shown promising results in the preliminary assays of biodegradation

Influence of Body Composition on Arterial Stiffness in Middle-Aged Adults: Healthy UAL Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objectives: Several anthropometric and body composition parameters have been linked to arterial stiffness (AS) as a biomarker of cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about which of these closely related factors is more strongly associated with AS. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship of different anthropometric and body composition parameters with AS in middle-aged adults. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 186 middle-aged participants (85 women, 101 men; age = 42.8 ± 12.6 years) evaluated as part of the Healthy UAL study, a population study conducted at the University of Almería with the main purpose of analyzing the etiology and risk factors associated with cardio-metabolic diseases. Anthropometric measures included neck, waist, and hip circumferences, as well as the waist-to-height ratio (WHtr). Bioimpedance-derived parameters included fat-free mass index (FFMI), fat mass index (FMI), and percent of body fat (%BF). AS was measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV). The relationships of interest were examined through stepwise regression analyses in which age and sex were also introduced as potential confounders. Results: Neck circumference (in the anthropometric model; R2: 0.889; β: age = 0.855, neck = 0.204) and FFMI (in the bio-impedance model; R2: 0.891; β: age = 0.906, FFMI = 0.199) emerged as significant cross-sectional predictors of AS. When all parameters were included together (both anthropometry and bio-impedance), both neck circumference and FFMI appeared again as being significantly associated with AS (R2: 0.894; β: age = 0.882, FFMI = 0.126, neck = 0.093). Conclusion: It was concluded that FFMI and neck circumference are correlated with AS regardless of potential confounders and other anthropometric and bioimpedance-derived parameters in middle-aged adults