Study of the nanometric grain size distribution in iron compacts obtained by mechanical milling

Postprint (published version

Science fairs as learning tools

Science fairs are activities well known, in different countries, for their pedagogical relevance. For that reason a 4 years study was developed to evaluate the advantages of this informal teaching method in the context of a basic school in the northwestern Portuguese seaside town of Viana do Castelo. The study included the analysis of the evolution of students that have participated in previous fairs, and also students participating in the present science fair. The motivation of the students was monitored and also the knowledge and skills’ gains achieved. This way, the relevance of this teaching modality is once more demonstrated, not only in what concern the short term, right after student participation, but also the students future attitude towards the school and their motivation to the study of science, as well as in long term knowledge and skills acquisition

Saber es Hacer: Una Experiencia Innovadora en la Enseñanza de Catastro.

La enseñanza de la asignatura de Catastro en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes y en la Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniería Técnica Forestal ha sufrido modificaciones en cuanto a su metodología pedagógica, de manera que se ha incrementado el índice de recuerdo por parte de los alumnos una vez finalizados sus estudios. Este punto se ha logrado tras aplicar herramientas de análisis estratégico (DAFO) con el fin de detectar debilidades, amenazas, fortalezas y oportunidades que presentaban dichas asignaturas. Una vez descritas éstas, se han diseñado métodos para mejorar la calidad de la docencia en las mismas

Cyclodextrin-scaffolded glycotransporters for gene delivery

Abstract: Conventional drugs consist of a formulation of a bioactive species and a carrier, the former accounting for most of the sophistication of the design. In the case of biomolecular drugs, however, the role of the carrier becomes decisive in enabling the load to reach its target to carry out its designed therapeutic function. Thus, the clinical success of gene therapy, where the active principles are nucleic acids, critically depends on the use of efficient and safe delivery systems. Carbohydrates have proven particularly useful in this regard. Glycocoating, similarly to poly(ethylene)glycol (PEG)-coating (pegylation), can stabilize colloidal aggregates by improving solvation and preventing nonspecific interactions, for example, with serum proteins. Moreover, glycoconjugates can drive specific recognition and receptor-mediated internalization in target cells. Actually, the inherent flexibility of carbohydrate and glycoconjugate chemistry has greatly contributed to enlarging the range of functional materials that can be rationally conceived for gene delivery. Herein, this is illustrated with selected examples that focus on controlling the architectural parameters of the vectors to make them suitable for structure¿activity relationship (SAR) and optimization studies. The members of the cyclomaltooligosaccharide (cyclodextrin, CD) family will be the central actors of the story.Peer Reviewe

Harmonized tuning of nucleic acid and lectin binding properties with multivalent cyclodextrins for macrophage-selective gene delivery

Polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrins (paCDs) have been shown to behave as efficient non-viral gene carriers paralleling the efficacy of commercial vectors towards a variety of cell lines. Their molecular framework and modular design allow the installation of saccharidic antennae to promote specific carbohydrate–protein interactions, thus potentially endowing them with selective targeting abilities. Yet, the presence of these additional functionalities onto the polycationic cluster may hamper paCD self-assembly and nucleic acid condensation. In this report we describe the influence of paCD mannosylation extent on paCD-pDNA nanocomplex stability as well as the consequences of varying glycotope density on mannose-specific lectin recognition and gene delivery capabilities. The work aims at exploring the potential of this approach to optimize both properties in order to modulate cell transfection selectivity.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad SAF2013-44021-RJunta de Andalucía FQM-146

Hands-on Science. Advancing Science. Improving Education

The book herein aims to contribute to the advancement of Science to the improvement of Science Education and to an effective implementation of a sound widespread scientific literacy at all levels of society. Its chapters reunite a variety of diverse and valuable works presented in this line of thought at the 15th International Conference on Hands-on Science “Advancing Science. Improving Education

Developmental switch from prolonged insulin action to increased insulin sensitivity in protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B-deficient hepatocytes

15 pages, 10 figures.Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a negative regulator of insulin signaling and a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in insulin sensitivity between neonate and adult hepatocytes lacking PTP1B. Immortalized neonatal hepatocytes and primary neonatal and adult hepatocytes have been generated from PTP1B(-/-) and wild-type mice. PTP1B deficiency in immortalized neonatal hepatocytes prolonged insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor (IR) and IR substrates (IRS) -1, -2 compared with wild-type control cells. Endogenous IR and IRS-2 were down-regulated, whereas IRS-1 was up-regulated in PTP1B(-/-) neonatal hepatocytes and livers of PTP1B(-/-) neonates. Insulin-induced activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway was prolonged in PTP1B(-/-) immortalized neonatal hepatocytes. However, insulin sensitivity was comparable to wild-type hepatocytes. Rescue of PTP1B in deficient cells suppressed the prolonged insulin signaling, whereas RNA interference in wild-type cells promoted prolonged signaling. In primary neonatal PTP1B(-/-) hepatocytes, insulin prolonged the inhibition of gluconeogenic mRNAs, but the sensitivity to this inhibition was similar to wild-type cells. By contrast, in adult PTP1B-deficient livers, p85alpha was down-regulated compared with the wild type. Moreover, primary hepatocytes from adult PTP1B(-/-) mice displayed enhanced Akt phosphorylation and a more pronounced inhibition of gluconeogenic mRNAs than wild-type cells. Hepatic insulin sensitivity due to PTP1B deficiency is acquired through postnatal development. Thus, changes in IR and IRS-2 expression and in the balance between regulatory and catalytic subunits of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase are necessary to achieve insulin sensitization in adult PTP1B(-/-) hepatocytes.This work was supported by Grant BFU 2005-01615 (to A.M.V.) and Grant SAF 2004-5545 (to M.B.) from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain), Grant CAM/GR/SAL/0384/2004 (to A.M.V.) from Comunidad de Madrid (Spain), and Red de Grupos de Diabetes Mellitus Grant G03/212, Instituto Carlos III (Spain). A.G.-R. was supported by Grant FPU (Ministerio de Educación, Spain). O.E. was supported by Juan de la Cierva programe (Ministerio de Educación, Spain).Peer reviewe

LabVIEW-based control and acquisition system for the dosimetric characterization of a silicon strip detector

Theaimofthisworkistopresentanewdataacquisition,control,andanalysissoftwaresystemwrittenin LabVIEW.Thissystemhasbeendesignedtoobtainthedosimetryofasiliconstripdetectorinpolyethylene. It allows the full automation of the experiments and data analysis required for the dosimetric characterization of silicon detectors. It becomes a useful tool that can be applied in the daily routine check of a beam accelerator.MINECO ICTI2013-2016/FPA2013-47327-C2-1-RMINECO ICTI2013-2016/FPA2014-53290-C2-2- PJunta de Andalucía P12-FQM-160

Caracterización de la acción sísmica enfocada a estudios de riesgo sísmico a escala urbana. Aplicaciones en Almería y Alhama de Granada.

Una de las principales diferencias entre estudios de riesgo símico a escalas regional y urbana se refiere a la caracterización de la acción sísmica. En los estudios regionales, se impone el método probabilista, en el que habitualmente el resultado se expresa por medio de mapas de aceleración esperada para un periodo de retorno dado y espectros de peligrosidad uniforme. Sin embargo, en los estudios urbanos se requiere un mayor grado de detalle, tanto en la definición de las fuentes sismogenéticas como en la caracterización del movimiento esperado, sobre el que inciden de manera fundamental posibles efectos de resonancia con el suelo en el emplazamiento y/o con las estructuras asentadas en el mismo. En este trabajo se presentan diversas propuestas de caracterización de la acción sísmica en entornos urbanos. Para su aplicación práctica, se usarán datos de dos localidades concretas: Almería, donde se usará un escenario sísmico compatible con el sismo de control de la peligrosidad en rangos de aceleración esperados para un periodo de retorno de 475 años y en Alhama de Granada, donde el movimiento sísmico corresponde al que generaría un terremoto similar al de Andalucía de 1884, con fuente en la falla de Zafarraya

Los ajustes deprimen el empleo. Análisis de coyuntura del mercado de trabajo en el segundo trimestre de 2012

La economía española ha entrado en recesión en el segundo trimestre de 2012, por segunda vez desde que estalló la crisis económica. La intensa caída de la actividad económica provoca una nueva oleada de destrucción de empleo. Como consecuencia, se ha alcanzado la tasa de paro más alta en un trimestre en la serie histórica de la EPA que ofrece el INE. En el artículo presente se analizan la evolución de las principales variables laborales en el mercado de trabajo español y de Andalucía. Se presta especial atención a la formación de la mano de obra y a la evolución de los diferentes grupos de trabajadores cualificados de acuerdo con la evolución del ciclo económico en el periodo 2008-2012.In the second quarter of 2012, Spanish economy has come into a new recession period for the second time since the beginning of the economic crisis. The big decrease of economic activity is the cause of a new wave of employment destruction. As a result, the highest rate of unemployment in modern Spanish economic history has been reached, according to the data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. In this paper, we analyse the evolution of the main labour indicators in the Spanish and Andalusian Labour Markets. We pay special attention to the impact of economic crisis on different groups of workers according to their educational levels in the period 2008-2012