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

Projecte de restauració del conjunt monumental de la cascada del Parc de la Ciutadella de Barcelona

L’any 1989, el Departament d’Expressió Gràfica Arquitectònica II, rep aquest encàrrec a través de l’Ajuntament de Barcelona, amb el qual se subscriu un conveni de col•laboració juntament amb l’empresa Texsa. En aquest conveni participen per part del Departament, un grup de professors i alumnes per realitzar l’aixecament gràfic de la font-cascada i el posterior projecte. La font-cascada del Parc de la Ciutadella de Barcelona va ser dissenyada per l’arquitecte Josep Fontseré i Mestres l’any 1874 i inaugurada l’any 1881 sense els elements escultòrics que es van instal•lar més tard, l’any 1888. El projecte està format per un llac de dos nivells, un nucli central de 4 nivells i dues grans escalinates laterals. En la seva construcció predominen materials com la pedra natural, bigues metàl•liques i ceràmica. En la restauració arquitectònica es va conservar l’equilibri entre la qualitat i l’aspecte dels materials, ja que aquest monument és una simbiosis entre l’arquitectura i l’escultura. La restauració escultòrica, degut al caràcter històric, però per les limitacions econòmiques, es va centrar en la neteja de les figures per evitar que els factors ambientals o químics seguissin desgastant i disgregant la pedra, es van segellar les fissures i es van folrar amb additius especialsPreprin

De la torxa a l'electricitat : l'enllumenat públic en la història de Barcelona

En 1599 s’incorpora a Barcelona l’enllumenat públic mitjançant torxes. Encara que era un sistema precari, va servir per tenir un servei públic de caràcter permanent del qual dependria el desenvolupament i la imatge de ciutat amb vocació progressista. En 1752 s’instal·len als carrers i places de la ciutat 1.500 llums alimentades per oli que tenien un manteniment més durador. Barcelona és la primera ciutat de l’estat espanyol en utilitzar el gas per al seu enllumenat públic. La premsa s’interessa i comença a escriure sobre el notable canvi ocorregut amb aquesta adaptació. Aquest furor fa que la canalització per a la xarxa del gas es propagui per tota la ciutat a exigència dels habitants i la festa de la Mercè és el millor pretext per incorporar nous elements, el que evidència un creixement accelerat de la població gràcies a la instal·lació de noves fàbriques, tallers i l’auge propiciat per la moderna economia catalana, situació que influeix en la configuració social, política, industrial, de transports, cultural, de les arts, arquitectura, urbanisme i mitjans de comunicació, fent que en tots aquests aspectes es notés una considerable transformació. La il·luminació elèctrica es va implantar per primera vegada l’any 1852 en la Plaça de la Constitució i després es va començar a instal·lar aquests tipus d’enllumenats en diferents punts de la ciutat. Durant l’exposició de 1929 la muntanya de Montjuich va mostrar el seu gran esplendor luminotècnic, el que va demostrar l’avanç de les noves tecnologies i la desaparició paulatina de les llums de gas.Preprin

El establecimiento de la filiación en las técnicas de reproducción humana asistida

La cuestión que se ha tratado en este Trabajo de Fin de Grado es la relativa a cómo podemos determinar la filiación de los padres y de las madres respecto de los hijos nacidos a través de las técnicas de reproducción humana asistidas. Con este trabajo de fin de grado lo que se pretende es dar respuesta a las dudas, preguntas o enigmas de cómo un hombre y/o una mujer puede acceder a las técnicas de reproducción humana asistida y que además el bebé resultante pueda ser reconocido legalmente como su hijo o hija con las consecuencias que se derivan de ello

Deployable Fresnel zone plate antenna for CubeSats

Earth Observation satellite missions can provide global and frequent coverage. In the past decade we have seen an explosion of these missions based on three unit CubeSats, notably with Planet and Spire constellations of visible and near-infrared imagers and GNSS-Radio Occultations payloads. One of the most important parts of these type of payloads is the antenna, which is limited due to the dimensions of the CubeSats. Today, the largest deployable antenna for CubeSats has a diameter of 50 cm and it was part of RainCube rain radar. ESA is currently sponsoring two studies to develop a 1 m deployable reflector antenna for CubeSats. Although the most common solutions are the deployable reflectors, Fresnel Zone Plate antennas are a simple type of antennas that can overcome some of the technical limitations of these reflectors. In this paper we will present the design and tests of a deployable Fresnel Zone Plate antenna with 155 cm diameter, at a distance of 58 cm from the feeder. During the design, the modularity of the system has been considered, so that other antenna types can also be deployed. This antenna has a triangular shape, and each end is attached to a telescopic carbon fiber rod, which is deployed by means of a toothed belt that pushes them from its inner part. Each toothed belt is pushed with a DC motor. If accepted for a launch of opportunity, this antenna will be used in a GNSS-Radio Occultations payload onboard 3Cat-8, one of the future satellite missions of the UPC NanoSat La

Erosión laminar post-incendio en Fornillos de Apiés (Huesca). Riesgo teórico versus erosión actual

El 10 de agosto de 2016 se produjo un incendio en el término municipal de Fornillos de Apiés, Huesca, donde más de 400 hectáreas fueron calcinadas. El presente estudio se centra en medir la tasa de erosión en una de las laderas afectadas por el incendio, caracterizando los materiales sujetos a erosión y evaluar las tasas de erosión laminar real y potencial, estimadas a partir de modelos de uso frecuente (USLE y ERMiT). Para evaluar la tasa de erosión, se delimitaron 6 microparcelas, de 1,5 x 0,5 m, instalando una trampa Gerlach en cada una de ellas, que permitía recoger los sedimentos arrastrados en cada episodio de lluvia. Se obtuvieron así las tasas de erosión y, posteriormente, mediante calcinación, el porcentaje contenido de materia orgánica arrastrada. A su vez, se llevó a cabo una monitorización de la regeneración natural post-incendio en la zona de estudio. La tasa real de erosión en la zona de estudio ha sido de 20,81 Mg ha-1 año-1, más del doble que lo estimado por las tasas de los modelos U.S.L.E. (8,11 Mg ha-1 año-1) y ERMiT (9,39 Mg ha-1 año-1). Se ha determinado que el régimen de lluvias durante el periodo de estudio, con elevada tormentosidad, es un factor muy condicionante en la erosión. A su vez, la abundancia de la vegetación regenerada limita el poder erosivo de las lluvias al final del periodo

Participatory collective farming as a leverage point for fostering human-nature connectedness

Human-nature connectedness is key to foster environmental and socio-cultural sustainability in agricultural landscapes since it promotes the establishment of belonging, stewardship, and connections to nature. Cooperation, collective action, and the role of women at sustainable agroecological practices could be leverage points in which small interventions may hold great potential for system transformation. We analyse the different types of human-nature connectedness mediated by the Agrolab participatory collective farming initiative running in Madrid (Spain). Our results described and quantified a participatory collective farming initiative using the leverage point perspective, and identified factors explaining nature relatedness of participants (i.e. social importance of agricultural landscapes, linkages with farming activities, time spent outdoors, gender and a negative relationship with the rural residence). We found that women showed a stronger and broader worldview on the philosophical arguments about their connection with nature, while men identified themselves and nature through more cognitive responses. Our results give indication of participatory collecting farming as a leverage point to foster human-nature connectedness. Finally, we discussed how participatory collective farming activities are suitable for introducing nature into people’s daily lives and may help to identify pathways towards a stronger human-nature connectedness.This study received funding from: (1) Environmental and social services provided by agroecological farming systems (FP20-SERVIAGROECO), (2) from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N◦ 81819, by the project entitled: Co-design of novel contract models for innovative agri-environmental-climate measures and for valorisation of environmental public goods, and from (3) the Madrid Government (Comunidad de Madrid-Spain) under the Multiannual Agreement with Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in the line of action encouraging youth research doctors, in the context of the V PRICIT (Regional Programme of Research and Technological Innovation) (SI1/PJI/2019-00444), through SAVIA-Sowing Alternatives for Agroecological Innovation project

Production of engineered long-life and male sterile Pelargonium plants

[EN] Background: Pelargonium is one of the most popular garden plants in the world. Moreover, it has a considerable economic importance in the ornamental plant market. Conventional cross-breeding strategies have generated a range of cultivars with excellent traits. However, gene transfer via Agrobacterium tumefaciens could be a helpful tool to further improve Pelargonium by enabling the introduction of new genes/traits. We report a simple and reliable protocol for the genetic transformation of Pelargonium spp. and the production of engineered long-life and male sterile Pelargonium zonale plants, using the pSAG12::ipt and PsEND1::barnase chimaeric genes respectively. Results: The pSAG12::ipt transgenic plants showed delayed leaf senescence, increased branching and reduced internodal length, as compared to control plants. Leaves and flowers of the pSAG12::ipt plants were reduced in size and displayed a more intense coloration. In the transgenic lines carrying the PsEND1::barnase construct no pollen grains were observed in the modified anther structures, which developed instead of normal anthers. The locules of sterile anthers collapsed 3¿4 days prior to floral anthesis and, in most cases, the undeveloped anther tissues underwent necrosis. Conclusion: The chimaeric construct pSAG12::ipt can be useful in Pelargonium spp. to delay the senescence process and to modify plant architecture. In addition, the use of engineered male sterile plants would be especially useful to produce environmentally friendly transgenic plants carrying new traits by preventing gene flow between the genetically modified ornamentals and related plant species. These characteristics could be of interest, from a commercial point of view, both for pelargonium producers and consumers.This work was funded by grants AGL2009-13388-C03-01 and BIO2009-08134 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). In the past five years we have received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) and the article-processing charge will be pay with funds from two granted projects. The authors received salaries from two different institutions: The Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) or the High Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC). We are not currently applying for a patent related with the content of this manuscript. All the mentioned organisms/institutions do not gain or lose financially from the publication of this manuscript either now or in the future.García Sogo, B.; Pineda Chaza, BJ.; Roque Mesa, EM.; Antón Martínez, MT.; Atarés Huerta, A.; Borja, M.; Beltran Porter, JP.... (2012). Production of engineered long-life and male sterile Pelargonium plants. BMC Plant Biology. 12:156-171. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2229-12-1561561711

Discomfort of the critically ill pediatric patient and correlated variables

Introduction: the care of critically ill children is usually invasive and aggressive, requiring numerous traumatic procedures that may cause fear, pain, and discomfort. Objectives: the aim of this study was to analyse the level of discomfort of patients admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit of a specialist children's hospital and to determine the sociodemographic and clinical variables that influence the degree of discomfort experienced by critically ill paediatric patients. Methods: we performed a descriptive observational cross-sectional study that included a total of 311 children with a median age of 5.07 y (interquartile range = 0.9-11.7). A team of 10 paediatric critical care nurses assessed the degree of discomfort once for each shift (morning, afternoon, and night) on 2 successive days using the COMFORT Behavior Scale-Spanish version. Results: in total, 49.8% (n = 155) of the patients were free of discomfort (score ≤10 points) vs. 50.2% (n = 156) who experienced discomfort. There was a significant negative correlation between discomfort and the length of stay in days (Rho = 0.16; p = 0.02), that is, the longer the stay, the less discomfort the patient felt. The correlation between age and degree of discomfort was found to be both positive and significant (Rho = 0.230, p < 0.001); the greater the age, the greater the discomfort. In comparison of all children who received analgosedation (n = 205), with discomfort levels of 10.77 ± 2.94, with those who did not receive analgosedation (n = 106), with discomfort levels of 11.96 ± 2.80, we did find a statistically significant difference (χ2 = -4.05; p < 0.001). Conclusions: half of the patients admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit experienced discomfort. Age and analgosedation were the two most important variables involved with a high degree of discomfort. Clinical care practices must consider these factors and try to plan activities designed to relieve discomfort in all critically ill paediatric patients

Una aproximación geométrica a la aerodinámica de curvas y superficies

En este trabajo presentamos una primera aproximación al estudio geométrico de la aerodinámica de curvas y superficies. En primer lugar, motivaremos el estudio a partir de situaciones concretas y ejemplos físicos, para después adaptar el método de aproximación normal de curvas y superficies regulares, mediante curvas y superficies de Bézier, introducido por A. Carriazo, M. C. Márquez y H. Ugail. Concluiremos presentando ejemplos gráficos.Plan Andaluz de Investigación (Junta de Andalucía