Poética de la obra fílmica de Luis Buñuel: etapa mexicana (1946-1964)

La investigación desarrollada en esta tesis doctoral se centra en las características de la estructura narrativa de las películas mexicanas del director Luis Buñuel. La intención es plasmar las propiedades de los elementos de la narración, así como su combinación y articulación en los proyectos que el cineasta aragonés dirigió entre los años 1946 y 1964 para la industria del cine mexicano. A pesar de lo extenso de la bibliografía sobre la figura de Buñuel, hay un vacío en el análisis narratológico de su obra mexicana. He ahí el principal argumento que justifica la realización de esta investigación, que se une al creciente interés por recopilar, preservar y difundir el legado de este director. Por tanto, el presente trabajo pretende ser una introducción al periodo más prolífero de su vida, –después de haber estado más de una década sin dirigir–, permitiendo observar la evolución de su obra y la configuración de un discurso personal que le llevará a alcanzar fama y prestigio internacional. El proyecto se compone de varias partes. En el primer bloque, se revisa una muestra significativa de la extensa literatura existente en torno a Luis Buñuel, lo cual permite contextualizar el estudio de este director en la actualidad. En este apartado se habla de la popularidad que ha ido adquiriendo la figura del cineasta aragonés en los últimos años en ámbitos tan diversos como la música, la conservación, la restauración, la museografía, entre otros. Por otra parte, se presentan algunos estudios de referencia acerca de su vida y su obra para finalizar con un repaso particular a los trabajos que se han centrado específicamente en el estudio de su periodo mexicano. Esta indagación permitió ver que los estudios realizados sobre la poética del cine que Buñuel realizó en México no son suficientes, pues se detectó la omisión sistemática de películas como Una mujer sin amor (1951), Abismos de pasión (1953) o El río y la muerte (1954), que forman parte de esta etapa pero que han sido dejadas de lado en comparación con la atención recibida por otras obras como Los olvidados (1950), Nazarín (1958) o El Ángel exterminador (1962)..

Study of pedagogic qualities of ConQuest and Mercury programs in\ud undergraduate Chemistry teaching

Nas últimas décadas os computadores têm desempenhado\ud importante papel no ensino. Neste trabalho apresentamos resultados obtidos a\ud partir de uma atividade que serviu para avaliar dois programas computacionais\ud que integram uma importante fonte de pesquisas em química, o Banco de\ud Dados Cambridge Structural Database (CSD): ConQuest, utilizado para\ud realização de buscas no CSD e Mercury, utilizado para a visualização de\ud estruturas cristalográficas. O CSD apresenta informações sobre\ud aproximadamente 423.000 estruturas cristalográficas de compostos orgânicos\ud e organometálicos. O Classroom ConQuest, que é uma versão do ConQuest\ud construída para emprego em ambientes de ensino e que foi usada neste\ud trabalho, possui um banco de dados reduzido. Os programas foram avaliados\ud quantitativa e qualitativamente por alunos de graduação matriculados em um\ud curso de química inorgânica, no qual tiveram que solucionar alguns exercícios\ud utilizando a base de dados e os programas ConQuest e Mercury. Os exercícios\ud envolveram a extração e a manipulação de dados disponíveis no CSD. Os\ud questionários de avaliação foram respondidos pelos alunos e mostraram que os\ud programas podem auxiliar no entendimento dos conteúdos da disciplina. Além\ud disso, muitos estudantes consideraram que a atividade os preparou para a\ud utilização de outros bancos de dados e sugeriram que propostas similares\ud poderiam ser aplicadas em disciplinas como cristalografia e química orgânica.For a few decades now, computers have played an increasing role\ud in education. In this work we present the main results from an activity carried\ud out to evaluate two programs that compose an important source of research in\ud chemistry, Cambridge Structural Database (CSD): ConQuest, for searching\ud CSD, and Mercury, for visualizing crystal structures. CSD contains details of\ud approximately 423,000 published organic and organometallic crystal\ud structures. Classroom ConQuest is a version of ConQuest, which has been\ud designed for teaching activities and used in this work, comes with a reduced\ud database. The programs were quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated by\ud Revista Electrónica de Enseñanza de las Ciencias Vol. 7 Nº3 (2008)\ud 659\ud undergraduate students who took an inorganic chemistry course in which they\ud had to solve some inorganic exercises utilizing the database and the programs\ud ConQuest and Mercury. The exercises involved extraction and manipulation of\ud data from CSD. Evaluation questionnaires answered by the students showed\ud that the programs are a valuable aid for content comprehension. Furthermore,\ud many students were optimistic that the activity had prepared them for later\ud use of databases in their chemistry courses and several said that similar\ud activities may be used in courses such as crystallography and organic\ud chemistry.CNPq (472967/2004-5

Visualización de Datos con Herramientas Interactivas y de Realidad Virtual. Revisión del Estado Actual y Propuesta de Modelo

Massive and open data constitute a burgeoning field of study in the current context. The evolution of technology is, in turn, increasing its degree of interactivity, configuring several scenarios of great complexity in which data is understood on the basis of our interaction with it at different levels. Technologies such as virtual reality or augmented reality present an emerging framework for visualizing, representing and understanding information. Moreover, new disciplines such as interaction design, human-computer interaction, and user experience are needed to optimally configure the representation and design of data interaction dynamics, so that they can be implemented in contexts such as education. This paper reviews the current state of interactive and immersive technology (including virtual reality and alternative reality games) and of open and massive data, to highlight potential projections and propose models of data representation based on factors such as storytelling or user experience. This paper shows the need to develop models for data use and representation in fields such as education and citizen empowerment.Los datos masivos y en abierto son campos de estudio con una proyección relevante en el actual contexto. La evolución de la tecnología está, a su vez, incrementando su grado de interactividad, configurando varios escenarios de gran complejidad, en la que los datos son entendidos a partir de la interacción en diferentes niveles. Tecnologías como la realidad virtual o la realidad aumentada presentan un marco emergente para la visualización, la representación y la comprensión de la información. Por otro lado, nuevas disciplinas como el diseño de interacciones, la interacción humano-computadora o la experiencia de usuario, son necesarias para configurar de manera óptima la representación y el diseño de dinámicas interactivas con datos, de manera que sean implementados en contextos tales como la educación. El presente artículo realiza una revisión del estado de las tecnologías interactivas e inmersivas (como la realidad virtual o los juegos de realidad alternativa) y el estado de los datos masivos y/o en abierto, de manera que se puedan configurar proyecciones y proponer modelos de representación de datos a partir de factores como la narrativa o la experiencia de usuario. El artículo muestra la necesidad de desarrollar modelos en el uso y representación de datos aplicable a campos como la educación y el empoderamiento ciudadano

Infected dendritic cells are sufficient to mediate the adjuvant activity generated by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles

Replicon particles derived from Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) are infectious non-propagating particles which act as a safe and potent systemic, mucosal, and cellular adjuvant when delivered with antigen. VEE and VEE replicon particles (VRP) can target multiple cell types including dendritic cells (DCs). The role of these cell types in VRP adjuvant activity has not been previously evaluated, and for these studies we focused on the contribution of DCs to the response to VRP. By analysis of VRP targeting in the draining lymph node, we found that VRP induced rapid recruitment of TNF-secreting monocyte-derived inflammatory dendritic cells. VRP preferentially infected these inflammatory DCs as well as classical DCs and macrophages, with less efficient infection of other cell types. DC depletion suggested that the interaction of VRP with classical DCs was required for recruitment of inflammatory DCs, induction of high levels of many cytokines, and for stable transport of VRP to the draining lymph node. Additionally, in vitro-infected DCs enhanced antigen-specific responses by CD4 and CD8 T cells. By transfer of VRP-infected DCs into mice we showed that these DCs generated an inflammatory state in the draining lymph node similar to that achieved by VRP injection. Most importantly, VRP-infected DCs were sufficient to establish robust adjuvant activity in mice comparable to that produced by VRP injection. These findings indicate that VRP infect, recruit and activate both classical and inflammatory DCs, and those DCs become mediators of the VRP adjuvant activity

Alphavirus replicon-based enhancement of mucosal and systemic immunity is linked to the innate response generated by primary immunization

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles (VRP) function as an effective systemic, cellular and mucosal adjuvant when codelivered with antigen, and show promise for use as a component in new and existing human vaccine formulations. We show here that VRP are effective at low dose and by intramuscular delivery, two useful features for implementation of VRP as a vaccine adjuvant. In mice receiving a prime and boost with antigen, we found that VRP are required in prime only to produce a full adjuvant effect. This outcome indicates that the events triggered during prime with VRP are sufficient to establish the nature and magnitude of the immune response to a second exposure to antigen. Events induced by VRP in the draining lymph node after prime include robust secretion of many inflammatory cytokines, upregulation of CD69 on leukocytes, and increased cellularity, with a disproportionate increase of a cell population expressing CD11c, CD11b, and F4/80. We show that antigen delivered 24 hours after administration of VRP does not benefit from an adjuvant effect, indicating that the events which are critical to VRP-mediated adjuvant activity occur within the first 24 hours. Further studies of the events induced by VRP will help elucidate the mechanism of VRP adjuvant activity and will advance the safe implementation of this adjuvant in human vaccines

Human rotavirus replicates in salivary glands and primes immune responses in facial and intestinal lymphoid tissues of gnotobiotic pigs

Human rotavirus (HRV) is a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis in children across the globe. The virus has long been established as a pathogen of the gastrointestinal tract, targeting small intestine epithelial cells and leading to diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Recently, this classical infection pathway was challenged by the findings that murine strains of rotavirus can infect the salivary glands of pups and dams and transmit via saliva from pups to dams during suckling. Here, we aimed to determine if HRV was also capable of infecting salivary glands and spreading in saliva using a gnotobiotic (Gn) pig model of HRV infection and disease. Gn pigs were orally inoculated with various strains of HRV, and virus shedding was monitored for several days post-inoculation. HRV was shed nasally and in feces in all inoculated pigs. Infectious HRV was detected in the saliva of four piglets. Structural and non-structural HRV proteins, as well as the HRV genome, were detected in the intestinal and facial tissues of inoculated pigs. The pigs developed high IgM antibody responses in serum and small intestinal contents at 10 days post-inoculation. Additionally, inoculated pigs had HRV-specific IgM antibody-secreting cells present in the ileum, tonsils, and facial lymphoid tissues. Taken together, these findings indicate that HRV can replicate in salivary tissues and prime immune responses in both intestinal and facial lymphoid tissues of Gn pigs.Instituto de VirologíaFil: Nyblade, Charlotte. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Zhou, Peng. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Frazier, Maggie. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Frazier, Annie. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Hensley, Casey. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Fantasia-Davis, Ariana. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Shahrudin, Shabihah. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados UnidosFil: Hoffer, Miranda. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados UnidosFil: Agbemabiese, Chantal Ama. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados UnidosFil: LaRue, Lauren. GIVAX Inc.; Estados UnidosFil: Barro, Mario. GIVAX Inc.; Estados UnidosFil: Patton, John T. Indiana University. Department of Biology; Estados UnidosFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). INCUINTA. Instituto de Virologia e Innovaciones Tecnologicas (IVIT); ArgentinaFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Yuan, Lijuan. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod‑Borne Pathogens; Estados Unido

Alphavirus replicon-based adjuvants enhance the immunogenicity and effectiveness of Fluzone® in rhesus macaques

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles (VRP) without a transgene (null VRP) have been used to adjuvant effective humoral [1], cellular [2], and mucosal [3] immune responses in mice. To assess the adjuvant activity of null VRP in the context of a licensed inactivated influenza virus vaccine, rhesus monkeys were immunized with Fluzone® alone or Fluzone® mixed with null VRP and then challenged with a human seasonal influenza isolate, A/Memphis/7/2001 (H1N1). Compared to Fluzone® alone, Fluzone®+null VRP immunized animals had stronger influenza-specific CD4+ T cell responses (4.4 fold) with significantly higher levels of virus-specific IFN-γ (7.6 fold) and IL-2 (5.3 fold) producing CD4+ T cells. Fluzone®+null VRP immunized animals also had significantly higher plasma anti-influenza IgG (p<0.0001, 1.3 log) and IgA (p<0.05, 1.2 log) levels. In fact, the mean plasma anti-influenza IgG titers after one Fluzone®+null VRP immunization was 1.2 log greater (p<0.04) than after two immunizations with Fluzone® alone. After virus challenge, only Fluzone®+null VRP immunized monkeys had a significantly lower level of viral replication (p<0.001) relative to the unimmunized control animals. Although little anti-influenza antibody was detected in the respiratory secretions after immunization, strong anamnestic anti-influenza IgG and IgA responses were present in secretions of the Fluzone®+null VRP immunized monkeys immediately after challenge. There were significant inverse correlations between influenza RNA levels in tracheal lavages and plasma anti-influenza HI and IgG anti-influenza antibody titers prior to challenge. These results demonstrate that null VRP dramatically improve both the immunogenicity and protection elicited by a licensed inactivated influenza vaccine

Stratifying the Presymptomatic Phase of Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia by Serum NfL and pNfH: A Longitudinal Multicentre Study

Objective: Although the presymptomatic stages of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) provide a unique chance to delay or even prevent neurodegeneration by early intervention, they remain poorly defined. Leveraging a large multicenter cohort of genetic FTD mutation carriers, we provide a biomarker-based stratification and biomarker cascade of the likely most treatment-relevant stage within the presymptomatic phase: the conversion stage. Methods: We longitudinally assessed serum levels of neurofilament light (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy (pNfH) in the Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI) cohort (n = 444), using single-molecule array technique. Subjects comprised 91 symptomatic and 179 presymptomatic subjects with mutations in the FTD genes C9orf72, GRN, or MAPT, and 174 mutation-negative within-family controls. Results: In a biomarker cascade, NfL increase preceded the hypothetical clinical onset by 15 years and concurred with brain atrophy onset, whereas pNfH increase started close to clinical onset. The conversion stage was marked by increased NfL, but still normal pNfH levels, while both were increased at the symptomatic stage. Intra-individual change rates were increased for NfL at the conversion stage and for pNfH at the symptomatic stage, highlighting their respective potential as stage-dependent dynamic biomarkers within the biomarker cascade. Increased NfL levels and NfL change rates allowed identification of presymptomatic subjects converting to symptomatic disease and capture of proximity-to-onset. We estimate stage-dependent sample sizes for trials aiming to decrease neurofilament levels or change rates. Interpretation: Blood NfL and pNfH provide dynamic stage-dependent stratification and, potentially, treatment response biomarkers in presymptomatic FTD, allowing demarcation of the conversion stage. The proposed biomarker cascade might pave the way towards a biomarker-based precision medicine approach to genetic FTD. ANN NEUROL 2022;91:33–47