Letrozole treatment of pubertal female mice results in activational effects on reproduction, metabolism and the gut microbiome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in reproductive-aged women that is comprised of two out of the following three features: hyperandrogenism, oligo- or amenorrhea, or polycystic ovaries. In addition to infertility, many women with PCOS have metabolic dysregulation that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Changes in the gut microbiome are associated with PCOS and gut microbes may be involved in the pathology of this disorder. Since PCOS often manifests in the early reproductive years, puberty is considered to be a critical time period for the development of PCOS. Exposure to sex steroid hormones during development results in permanent, organizational effects, while activational effects are transient and require the continued presence of the hormone. Androgens exert organizational effects during prenatal or early post-natal development, but it is unclear whether androgen excess results in organizational or activational effects during puberty. We recently developed a letrozole-induced PCOS mouse model that recapitulates both reproductive and metabolic phenotypes of PCOS. In this study, we investigated whether letrozole treatment of pubertal female mice exerts organizational or activational effects on host physiology and the gut microbiome. Two months after letrozole removal, we observed recovery of reproductive and metabolic parameters, as well as diversity and composition of the gut microbiome, indicating that letrozole treatment of female mice during puberty resulted in predominantly activational effects. These results suggest that if exposure to excess androgens during puberty leads to the development of PCOS, reduction of androgen levels during this time may improve reproductive and metabolic phenotypes in women with PCOS. These results also imply that continuous letrozole exposure is required to model PCOS in pubertal female mice since letrozole exerts activational rather than organizational effects during puberty

Quality of the drinkable water in Huesca

El agua es uno de los recursos naturales fundamentales; es, seguramente el recurso que condiciona de manera prioritaria el desarrollo socioeconómico de los pueblos y la mejora del bienestar de la población. El agua presta un extraordinario servicio a la comunidad para mejorar su calidad de vida, pero, sobre todo, para satisfacer sus necesidades básicas, tales como la alimentación y la salud. Sin agua no son posibles las actividades agropecuarias y, especialmente, las agrícolas, que son el mayor componente de la alimentación de la humanidad. La salud de la población ha mejorado cuando ésta ha podido vivir en un ambiente sano y con unas prácticas higiénicas, gracias al empleo suficiente de agua potable. El saneamiento de las aguas y la posibilidad de hacer un uso continuo de ellas, ha contribuido además, al crecimiento demográfico. El agua es tanto un derecho como una responsabilidad. Tiene un valor económico, social y ambiental, cualquier actuación pública y privada está obligada a tener en cuenta esta triple dimensión. Sin olvidar el valor decorativo y simbólico: en el jardín islámico, el agua tiene un valor sensual, en el jardín oriental acentúa su valor religioso y en la religión cristiana es símbolo de purificación, todo ello expresado a través de fuentes, cascadas, riachuelos… No es un bien ilimitado, ni su disponibilidad en cuantía y calidad adecuada es gratuita. Hay que tener en cuenta tanto los costes reales como el beneficio económico que genera su utilización, respetando al mismo tiempo la exigencia de un caudal mínimo para mantener los ecosistemas.Water is a fundamental natural resource, and surely the resource that conditions the social-economic development of people and improves the welfare of the population. Water provides an extraordinary service to the community to improve their quality of life, but above all, to meet their basic needs such as food and health. Without water, farming activities are not possible and especially agricultural ones, which are the largest component of the power of humanity. The health of the population has improved when it has been able to live in healthy and hygienic practices, through the use of sufficient water. The restoration of water and the possibility of a continued use, has contributed also to increase the global population. Water is both a right and a responsibility. It has an economic, social and environmental value; all public and private action is required to take account of this triple dimension. Not to mention the decorative and symbolic value in the Islamic garden, where the water is a sensual value, whereas in the oriental garden emphasizes its religious and value and in the Christian religion is considered a symbol of purification, all expressed through fountains, waterfalls, streams ... Neither it is not a unlimited good, nor their availability in adequate quantity and quality is free. We must take into account both the actual costs as the economic benefit from their use, by respecting the requirement of a minimum flow to maintain ecosystems

BETTY: Benchmarking and Testing on the Automated Analysis of Feature Models

The automated analysis of feature models is a flourishing research topic that has called the attention of both researchers and practitioners during the last two decades. During this time, the number of tools and techniques enabling the analysis of feature models has increased and also their complexity. in this scenario, the lack of specific testing mechanisms to assess the correctness and good performance of analysis tools is becoming a major obstacle hindering the development of tools and affecting their quality and reliability. in this paper, we present BeTTy, a framework for BEnchmarking and TesTing on the analY sis of feature models. Among other features, BeTTy enables the automated detection of faults in feature model analysis tools. Also, it supports the generation of motivating test data to evaluate the performance of analysis tools in both average and pessimistic cases. Part of the functionality of the framework is provided through a web-based interface facilitating the random generation of both classic and attributed feature models

Multi-User Variability Configuration: a Game Theoretic Approach

Multi-user configuration is a neglected problem in variability-intensive systems area. The appearance of conflicts among user configurations is a main concern. Current approaches focus on avoiding such conflicts, applying the mutual exclusion principle. However, this perspective has a negative impact on users satisfaction, who cannot make any decision fairly. in this work, we propose an interpretation of multi-user configuration as a game theoretic problem. Game theory is a well-known discipline which analyzes conflicts and cooperation among intelligent rational decisionmakers. We present a taxonomy of multi-user configuration approaches, and how they can be interpreted as different problems of game theory. We focus on cooperative game theory to propose and automate a tradeoff-based bargaining approach, as a way to solve the conflicts and maximize user satisfaction at the same time

ISA PACKAGER: a Tool for SPL Deployment

In software projects, and particularly in Software Product Line (SPL) projects, product composition and deployment are tasks that are not supported by open source tools. These tasks are repetitive and error-prone. Automation helps on reducing the errors while the productivity increases. in this paper we present a real-world experience through ISA Packager, a generic tool to package and deploy SPLs. in this experience we build a SPL of SCADAs (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition). Each customized SCADA product evolves in time and ISA Packager is in charge of easing product maintenance and updating

Abductive Reasoning and Automated Analysis of Feature Models: How are they connected?

In the automated analysis feature models (AAFM), many operations have been defined to extract relevant information to be used on decision making. Most of the proposals rely on logics to give solution to different operations. This extraction of knowledge using logics is known as deductive reasoning. One of the most useful operations are explanations that provide the reasons why some other operations find no solution. However, explanations does not use deductive but abductive reasoning, a kind of reasoning that allows to obtain conjectures why things happen. As a first contribution we differentiate between deductive and abductive reasoning and show how this difference affect to AAFM. Secondly, we broaden the concept of explanations relying on abductive reasoning, applying them even when we obtain a positive response from other operations. Lastly, we propose a catalog of operations that use abduction to provide useful information.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) TIN2006-00472Junta de Andalucía TIC-253

On-line characterization of transient neuronal activity

Paper presented firstly in a poster at the IV International Conference Net-Works 2011 Complex Networks: Structure, Applications and Related Topics, held in El Escorial (Spain) on October 26th-28th, 2011Characterization and control of nonlinear and non-stationary pro- cesses is an active topic in the field of the applied theory of dynamical systems. In this context classical control techniques cannot be applied straightforward, and thus observation and actuation should be properly incorporated into a real-time feedback (or closed-loop) methodology. One of the possible application scenarios of this methodology is depicted by neural activity. In this work we analyze the problem related to the first component of the real-time closed-loop technology for the case of neural activity. This being the case, be discuss different methods to classify dynamics and to detect events in a automatic and fast way.This work was supported by MICINN BFU2009-08473 and TIN-2010-19607

Latin American universities and digital craft: reaching out to regional development

This research identifies and analyzes the interaction between universities and craft experiences, with communities in different cities and towns in Latin America. These interactions use as link two technologies: digital fabrication and, as an emergent alternative, computational design. Case studies reveal interactions from the universities, specifically schools of architecture, design or engineering, to regional communities, and from them back to universities. We emphasize in advantages, lacks and problems, to be taken into account for future sustainable implementations. Processes establish links with regional production, seeking to empower it through the incorporation of new technologies, framed by teaching-learning experiences. Universities set passive assistance aside, to opt for a real collaborative learning that benefits students, teachers and societies

Networks of Polarized Evolutionary Processors as Problem Solvers.

In this paper, we propose a solution to an NP-complete problem, namely the "3-colorability problem", based on a network of polarized processors. Our solution is uniform and time efficient