Computer Science's Digest Volume 1

This series is dedicated to the students of the Systems Department, to give them reading material related to computer science in a second language. This book covers the Introduction to Computer Science, Computer Communications, Networking and Web Applications

La experiencia de la aplicación de un modelo de acreditación de carreras en Chile (2000 – 2007)

This work is made from the academics views considered "key players" in five higher education institutions in the region of Valparaiso (Chile), for having participated with different degrees of responsibility in accreditation processes of degree careers in education, both public and private universities. After a brief contextualization of the development and characterization of the accreditation model adopted in Chile at the level of institutions and courses, analyses their views from different experiences and views about studied institutions accreditation processes, evaluation criteria, the concept of quality used and the expectations concerning the improvement of the teaching careers. Finally, raised some proposals in order to refine this evaluative process, in response to the reality of our institutions. Keywords Accreditation; careers evaluation; quality; higher educationEste trabajo se elabora a partir de las opiniones de académicos considerados “actores claves” dentro de cinco instituciones de educación superior de la región de Valparaíso (Chile), por haber participado con diferentes grados de responsabilidad en procesos de acreditación de carreras de Licenciatura en educación, tanto en universidades públicas y privadas. Luego de una breve contextualización del desarrollo y caracterización del Modelo de Acreditación adoptado en Chile a nivel de instituciones y de carreras, se analizan sus opiniones desde distintas experiencias y visiones acerca de los procesos de acreditación en las instituciones estudiadas, los criterios de evaluación, la concepción de calidad utilizada y las expectativas respecto al mejoramiento de las carreras pedagógicas. Finalmente, se plantean algunas propuestas en orden a perfeccionar este proceso evaluativo, atendiendo a la realidad de nuestras institucione

SAgric-IoT: an IoT-based platform and deep learning for greenhouse monitoring

The Internet of Things (IoT) and convolutional neural networks (CNN) integration is a growing topic of interest for researchers as a technology that will contribute to transforming agriculture. IoT will enable farmers to decide and act based on data collected from sensor nodes regarding field conditions and not purely based on experience, thus minimizing the wastage of supplies (seeds, water, pesticide, and fumigants). On the other hand, CNN complements monitoring systems with tasks such as the early detection of crop diseases or predicting the number of consumable resources and supplies (water, fertilizers) needed to increase productivity. This paper proposes SAgric-IoT, a technology platform based on IoT and CNN for precision agriculture, to monitor environmental and physical variables and provide early disease detection while automatically controlling the irrigation and fertilization in greenhouses. The results show SAgric-IoT is a reliable IoT platform with a low packet loss level that considerably reduces energy consumption and has a disease identification detection accuracy and classification process of over 90%

About detectability and limits of detection in single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) offers unique features for the detection of particles, as well as for their quantification and size characterization. The detection capabilities of SP-ICP-MS are therefore not only limited to the concentration domains (of particles and dissolved related species), but also to the mass of element per particle and particle size domains. Discrimination and detection of particle events, based on the use of robust limits of decision (also known as critical values), and the estimation of the limits of detection in the different domains, require standardized metrological approaches that have not been clearly established yet. As a consequence, harmonized approaches and expressions to allow reliable comparisons between methods and instruments, as well as to process SP-ICP-MS data, are required. This paper is an attempt to summarize and review the different approaches applied up to now in relation to the detectability in SP-ICP-MS, and highlight the peculiarities of this topic in SP-ICP-MS. A holistic approach with criteria and expressions for the estimation of the different critical values and limits of detection in terms of the different instrumental and experimental parameters involved is proposed. Additionally, a calculation tool for estimating and predicting critical values and limits of detection under different experimental conditions is also included

Reemplazo ureteral con apéndice cecal

Indexación: Web of Science; ScieloWe report two cases with ureteral lesions. A 34 years male with a residual retroperitoneal mass caused by a testicular cancer, that persisted after chemotherapy. During the surgical excision of the mass, the involvement of the right ureter was discovered. A 43 years old female with a left ureteral lesion secondary to radiation therapy and with a non-functioning contralateral kidney. In both cases a ureteral replacement with the cecal appendix was performed, without surgical complications. After five years of follow up, the urinary tract of the male patient is normal. The female patient required an endoscopic incision of the connection between the appendix and the urinary bladder, eight years after the surgical procedure. Three years after the endoscopic procedure the repaired urinary tract is in good conditions.Objetivo: Presentar dos casos de reemplazo ureteral con apéndice cecal y revisar la literatura relacionada al tema. Material y Método: Presentamos dos casos de lesión ureteral. Un paciente de 34 años con masa retroperitoneal residual post quimioterapia englobando el uréter derecho, secundaria a un tumor testicular, y una paciente de 43 años monorrena funcional con lesión ureteral izquierda actínica. Resultados: En ambos casos se realizó un reemplazo ureteral, derecho e izquierdo, sin complicaciones intraoperatorias. El seguimiento alejado a 5 y 11 años muestra indemnidad de la vía urinaria. Conclusión: Estos 2 casos, con seguimiento prolongado, apoyan la factibilidad del uso del apéndice cecal como variante para el reemplazo ureteral en lesiones extensas.http://ref.scielo.org/n85xn

Modified Intracellular-Associated Phenotypes in a Recombinant Salmonella Typhi Expressing S. Typhimurium SPI-3 Sequences

A bioinformatics comparison of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 3 sequences from S. Typhi and S. Typhimurium serovars showed that ten genes are highly conserved. However three of them are pseudogenes in S. Typhi. Our aim was to understand what functions are lost in S. Typhi due to pseudogenes by constructing a S. Typhi genetic hybrid carrying the SPI-3 region of S. Typhimurium instead of its own SPI-3. We observed that under stressful conditions the hybrid strain showed a clear impairment in resistance to hydrogen peroxide and decreased survival within U937 culture monocytes. We hypothesized that the marT-fidL operon, encoded in SPI-3, was responsible for the new phenotypes because marT is a pseudogen in S. Typhi and has a demonstrated role as a transcriptional regulator in S. Typhimurium. Therefore we cloned and transferred the S. Typhimurium marT-fidL operon into S. Typhi and confirmed that invasion of monocytes was dramatically decreased. Finally, our findings suggest that the genomic and functional differences between SPI-3 sequences have implications in the host specificity of Typhi and Typhimurium serovars

First report of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne hispanica infecting grapevines in southern Spain

Artículo open access.Some commercial vineyards producing the ‘Condado de Huelva’ wine denomination of origin in Almonte, Bonares, and Rociana (Huelva Province), southern Spain, showed general decline in sandy soils in 2009. Disease surveys revealed severe infections of grapevine rootstock Richter 110 feeder roots and heavy soil infestations by a root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne sp.).Peer Reviewe