Molecular diagnostic and biological methods: An alternative in the prevention and control of bacterial fish diseases

The aquaculture sector is limited by numerous bacterial diseases that cause high mortalities of fish and reduce the commercial value of the product. The development of sensitive and rapid diagnostic techniques is essential for the establishment of effective control and prevention measures that reduce the spread of the causative agent of disease. Some of the bacterial diseases that have a high economic impact in the aquaculture sector are: furunculosis, tenacibaculosis, flavobacteriosis and vibriosis. The treatment of these diseases with commercially available antimicrobials during the last decades has led to the appearance of resistant strains. Therefore, alternative strategies based on natural compounds that show antibacterial activity and stimulate the immune system of fish have been proposed to protect fish against infectious diseases. The use of some of these biological methods is very promising for aquaculture because they do not result in the appearance of resistance; and their costs of production and use is much lower than that of specific vaccines. In this PhD work different aspects of the diagnosis, epidemiology and/or control of the fish diseases furunculosis, tenacibaculosis, flavobacteriosis and vibriosis are presented

HW/SW Co-Simulation System for Enhancing Hardware-in-the-Loop of Power Converter Digital Controllers

Digital controllers of power converters are more and more implemented in FPGAs due to the increasing complexity of current control algorithms, higher switching frequencies, and concurrence requirements. System behavior depends not only on the control algorithm but also on the implementation issues. Thus, closed-loop controller evaluation at early design stages is a main concern. In this paper, a new hardware-in-the-loop method is proposed. It profits from FPGAs and their design tools in order to validate the closed-loop power converter before prototyping the power stage. The proposed solution presents a general architecture that does not depend on specific vendors or CAD tools, but it uses those utilized for the final implementation of the controller. A case study is presented with a given implementation of the proposed solution. Comparisons with existing alternatives show the advantages of our approach

Significados y prácticas de ser hombre y mujer en un grupo de jóvenes de la periferia de Bogotá

La presente investigación aborda los significados y prácticas alrededor del ser mujer y ser hombre en un grupo de jóvenes estudiantes de bachillerato de un colegio oficial, en el sur de la ciudad de Bogotá. Cuyo objetivo se orienta a favorecer la comprensión de los procesos sociales que atraviesan la constitución de la identidad desde una perspectiva de género con el enfoque de la interseccionalidad. Es un estudio cualitativo que recurre al método interpretativo de textos, a partir de la revisión bibliográfica que da cuenta de la teoría y del análisis textual de los registros de entrevistas semiestructuradas y grupos focales. Entre los resultados más destacados se encuentra que el estereotipo machista y hetero-patriarcal se sigue reproduciendo en los hogares, pero ambigüedades como; princesas y guerreras, marcan las resistencias que caracterizan el ser mujer, estas quiebran los modos tradicionales de sometimiento y exclusión, a partir de la producción de nuevas gramáticas que van desde el uso de cuerpo como transgresión, hasta la incursión en ámbitos laborales y educativos. Por su parte, el ser hombre se configura a partir del patriarcalismo jerárquico en el que predomina la violencia simbólica hacia la mujer, pero también por la irrupción de conductas que desarticulan la verticalidad de la jerarquía y se desplazan hacia la afirmación de masculinidades mucho más sensibles y conscientes de la necesidad de transformar esta realidad

La metodología de juicios simulados en un entorno colaborativo de aprendizaje activo

Proyecto juicios simulados(litis simulatio, moot courts), como herramienta metodológica de coordinación y colaboración entre los diversos colectivos para ofrecer a los alumnos del último curso de las Titulaciones una experiencia cuasi-real en litigación y resolución de conflictos jurídicos que les permita fortalecer las competencias y habilidades adquiridas a lo largo del programa formativo en los diferentes ámbitos del Derecho y de la Jurisdicción

Patterns of genetic differentiation and the footprints of historical migrations in the Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula is linguistically diverse and has a complex demographic history, including a centuries-long period of Muslim rule. Here, we study the fine-scale genetic structure of its population, and the genetic impacts of historical events, leveraging powerful, haplotype-based statistical methods to analyse 1413 individuals from across Spain. We detect extensive fine-scale population structure at extremely fine scales (below 10 Km) in some regions, including Galicia. We identify a major east-west axis of genetic differentiation, and evidence of historical north to south population movement. We find regionally varying fractions of north-west African ancestry (0–11%) in modern-day Iberians, related to an admixture event involving European-like and north-west African-like source populations. We date this event to 860–1120 CE, implying greater genetic impacts in the early half of Muslim rule in Iberia. Together, our results indicate clear genetic impacts of population movements associated with both the Muslim conquest and the subsequent Reconquista.We acknowledge support from the Wellcome Trust (203141/Z/16/Z, 090532/Z/09/Z, 098387/Z/12/Z, 095552/Z/11/Z, 212284/Z/18/Z) and Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (Grants PI13/01136 and PI16/01057)S

Hydrophone installation in the Raia Ocean-Meteorological Observatory Net

An Iclisten hydrophone has been installed in a metocean platform of RAIA Obervatory, as part of the MarRisk project, and data are being uploaded to EMODnet web portal.Peer Reviewe

Different metabolic features 1 of Bacteroides fragilis growing in the presence of glucose and exopolysaccharides of bifidobacteria

Bacteroides is among the most abundant microorganism inhabiting the human intestine. They are saccharolytic bacteria able to use dietary or host-derived glycans as energy sources. Some Bacteroides fragilis strains contribute to the maturation of the immune system but it is also an opportunistic pathogen. The intestine is the habitat of most Bifidobacterium species, some of whose strains are considered probiotics. Bifidobacteria can synthesize exopolysaccharides (EPS), which are complex carbohydrates that may be available in the intestinal environment. We studied the metabolism of B. fragilis when an EPS preparation from bifidobacteria was added to the growth medium compared to its behavior with added glucose. 2D-DIGE coupled with the identification by MALDI-TOF/TOF evidenced proteins that were differentially produced when EPS was added. The results were supported by RT qPCR gene expression analysis. The intracellular and extracellular pattern of certain amino acids, the redox balance and the a-glucosidase activity were differently affected in EPS with respect to glucose. These results allowed us to hypothesize that three general main events, namely the activation of amino acids catabolism, enhancement of the transketolase reaction from the pentose-phosphate cycle, and activation of the succinate-propionate pathway, promote a shift of bacterial metabolism rendering more reducing power and optimizing the energetic yield in the form of ATP when Bacteroides grow with added EPS. Our results expand the knowledge about the capacity of B. fragilis for adapting to complex carbohydrates and amino acids present in the intestinal environment. © 2015 Rios-covian, Sanchez, Salazar, Martinez, Redruello, Gueimonde and De los Reyes-Gavilan.This work was financed by projects AGL2010-16525 and AGL2013-43770-R from Plan Nacional/Plan Estatal de I+D+I (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO). The activity of Probiotics and Prebiotics Group is being partly supported through the Grant GRUPIN14-043 from Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias. Both, national and regional grants received cofounding from European Union FEDER funds. DR-C was the recipient of predoctoral FPI fellowship whereas BS enjoys a Ramon and Cajal contract from MINECO. NS benefits from a Clarin post-doctoral contract (Marie Curie European CoFund Program) cofinanced by Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias, Spain. We acknowledge the excellent technical assistance of Lidia Alaez, whose technician contract was partially supported by the project AGL2010-16525 and by Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias, through the grant COF 13-020.Peer Reviewe

Identification of the Immunological Changes Appearing in the CSF During the Early Immunosenescence Process Occurring in Multiple Sclerosis

Immunitat adaptativa; Envelliment; Esclerosi múltipleInmunidad adaptativa; Envejecimiento; Esclerosis múltipleAdaptive immunity; Aging; Multiple sclerosisPatients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer with age an early immunosenescence process, which influence the treatment response and increase the risk of infections. We explored whether lipid-specific oligoclonal IgM bands (LS-OCMB) associated with highly inflammatory MS modify the immunological profile induced by age in MS. This cross-sectional study included 263 MS patients who were classified according to the presence (M+, n=72) and absence (M-, n=191) of LS-OCMB. CSF cellular subsets and molecules implicated in immunosenescence were explored. In M- patients, aging induced remarkable decreases in absolute CSF counts of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, including Th1 and Th17 cells, and of B cells, including those secreting TNF-alpha. It also increased serum anti-CMV IgG antibody titers (indicative of immunosenescence) and CSF CHI3L1 levels (related to astrocyte activation). In contrast, M+ patients showed an age-associated increase of TIM-3 (a biomarker of T cell exhaustion) and increased values of CHI3L1, independently of age. Finally, in both groups, age induced an increase in CSF levels of PD-L1 (an inductor of T cell tolerance) and activin A (part of the senescence-associated secretome and related to inflammaging). These changes were independent of the disease duration. Finally, this resulted in augmented disability. In summary, all MS patients experience with age a modest induction of T-cell tolerance and an activation of the innate immunity, resulting in increased disability. Additionally, M- patients show clear decreases in CSF lymphocyte numbers, which could increase the risk of infections. Thus, age and immunological status are important for tailoring effective therapies in MS.This work was supported by grants FIS-PI15/00513, FIS-PI18/00572 and RD16/0015/0001 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain and FEDER: "Una manera de hacer Europa"

Experiencia y actitudes de los profesionales de salud mental en torno a las prácticas coercitivas directas: revisión bibliográfica de estudios cualitativos

Esta revisión bibliográfica de estudios cualitativos trata de explorar cuáles son las experiencias y actitudes que tienen los profesionales del ámbito de la salud mental sobre prácticas coercitivas como la contención mecánica. Existen múltiples estudios que indagan en las experiencias de los usuarios; sin embargo, parece necesario conocer la actitud de los profesionales si se desea trabajar por un cambio de paradigma. Se incluyeron 27 estudios que cumplían los criterios de inclusión y de calidad CASPe para estudios cualitativos. En general, los profesionales sienten malestar hacia las prácticas coercitivas, aunque existe cierta inclinación a justificar estas medidas como inevitables ante determinadas situaciones. Aparece una tendencia en los profesionales a atribuir a factores internos de los pacientes las potenciales situaciones desencadenantes. Se identifican también propuestas comunes (a nivel estructural, formativo, organizativo y educacional) para una reducción en el uso de las medidas señaladas