Semi-empirical mass formula for Λ-hypernuclei

Treballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2020, Tutora: Àngels RamosWe have studied the Λ-dependence of the separation energy, SΛ, of the Λ-hyperon in Λ-hypernuclei by fitting the parameters of a semi-empirical mass formula employed in previous works, which is based on the hypernuclear finite size. We extend this formula by considering two corrections: one takes into account the finite mass of the hypernucleus in terms of a Λ reduced mass and the other implements the effects of charge symmetry breaking (CSB). Both corrections are found non-negligible for finite hypernuclei. Moreover, our study reveals some inconsistencies in the SΛ data of mirror hypernuclei, preventing us from obtaining a well-determined CSB paramete

Identifying Spatial Relationships between Built Heritage Resources and Short-Term Rentals before the Covid-19 Pandemic: Exploratory Perspectives on Sustainability Issues

Built heritage resources (BHRs) are multidimensional assets that need to be conceived under a sustainability and circular economy framework. Whereas it is essential that their conservation, management, and enjoyment are sustainable, it is also necessary that the environmental, cultural, and socio-economic contexts in which they are integrated are sustainable too. Like other amenities, BHRs can improve the quality of the urban environment and generate externalities; additionally, they may influence sectors such as real estate, hospitality, and tourism. In this framework, this contribution aims to identify spatial relationships occurring between BHRs and short-term rentals (STRs), i.e., a recent economic phenomenon facilitated by platforms such as Airbnb. Through the application of Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis techniques and taking Turin (Italy) as a case study, this article provides evidence that spatial correlation patterns between BHRs and STRs exist, and that the areas most affected by STRs are the residential neighborhoods located in the proximity of the historic center of the city. Relations with other sets of socio-economic variables are highlighted too, and conclusions suggest that future studies are essential not only to monitor sustainability issues and reflect on new housing models and sustainable uses of buildings, but also to understand the evolution of the phenomenon in light of the pandemic Covid-19. they may influence sectors such as real estate, hospitality, and tourism. In this framework, this contribution aims to identify spatial relationships occurring between BHRs and short-term rentals (STRs), i.e., a recent economic phenomenon facilitated by platforms such as Airbnb. Through the application of Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis techniques and taking Turin (Italy) as a case study, this article provides evidence that spatial correlation patterns between BHRs and STRs exist, and that the areas most aected by STRs are the residential neighborhoods located in the proximity of the historic center of the city. Relations with other sets of socio-economic variables are highlighted too, and conclusions suggest that future studies are essential not only to monitor sustainability issues and reflect on new housing models and sustainable uses of buildings, but also to understand the evolution of the phenomenon in light of the pandemic Covid-19

Allergen sensitization stratifies IL-31 production by memory T cells in atopic dermatitis patients

Atopic dermatitis; Memory T cells; PruritusDermatitis atòpica; Cèl·lules T de memòria; PruritDermatitis atópica; Células T de memoria; PruritoBackground: The role of allergen sensitization in IL-31 production by T cells and specifically in the clinical context of atopic dermatitis (AD) has not been characterized. Methods: The response to house dust mite (HDM) in purified memory T cells cocultured with epidermal cells from AD patients (n=58) and control subjects (n=11) was evaluated. AD-associated cytokines from culture supernatants, plasma proteins and mRNA expression from cutaneous lesions were assessed and related with the clinical features of the patients. Results: HDM-induced IL-31 production by memory T cells defined two subsets of AD patients according to the presence or absence of IL-31 response. Patients in the IL-31 producing group showed a more inflammatory profile, and increased HDM-specific (sp) and total IgE levels compared to the IL-31 non-producing group. A correlation between IL-31 production and patient's pruritus intensity, plasma CCL27 and periostin was detected. When the same patients were analyzed based on sp IgE and total IgE levels, an increased IL-31 in vitro response, as well as type 2 markers in plasma and cutaneous lesions, was found in patients with sp IgE levels > 100 kUA/L and total IgE levels > 1000 kU/L. The IL-31 response by memory T cells was restricted to the cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA)+ T-cell subset. Conclusion: IgE sensitization to HDM allows stratifying IL-31 production by memory T cells in AD patients and relating it to particular clinical phenotypes of the disease

Building our future, a collaborative, participatory and motivating experience for undergraduates in chemistry

One of the aspects that best captures the interest of students, and the most neglected, is the possibility of offering the practical application of what is learned, favoring experiences that make this possible. Promoting interrelation and involvement with reality is one of the most motivating elements. For all these reasons, we present the action developed in which we are committed to participatory techniques, more specifically, to the development of projects related to the professional interests of the first-year students of the Degree in Chemistry. According to the surveys we carried out with our students, the main orientations were Research, Teaching and Bio-Entrepreneurship. The specific teaching objectives were: i) to strengthen the group, integrate, disinhibit, encourage; ii) to stimulate the exchange of experiences, ideas and opinions; iii) to develop divergent and creative thinking; iv) to quickly promote student participation, capturing their interest and involving them in the teaching/learning process; and v) to promote the learning of diverse knowledge and its collective construction, among others. The experience was carried out by all the students of the Biology subject, who were distributed in work teams of 4-6 students. The groups chose a topic from among the orientations requested by the students: i) Research (Support Centres); ii) Teaching (Institute of Education Sciences); iii) Bio-Entrepreneurship (Office for the Transfer of Research Results); iv) Forensic Science Police. The dynamic of the action is based on three main phases: - Initial session. In this session, objectives, methodology and evaluation criteria were clarified. The instructors involved provided the working groups with the corresponding contact. At this point, the enquiry of the group members began. - Development sessions. Throughout several meetings with the instructors, the members of the teams had to undertake the following objectives: i) search for information from the contact provided (description of the services studied, equipment, function and applications); ii) interview with experts; iii) contextualization according to their professional interests; iv) organization of the information and preparation of communications (posters). All this was supervised by the instructors involved. They were also presented with the "digital" portfolio that they had to prepare during the course of the action. - Final session. The students presented their work in a public event at the Building our Future Conference. Assessment for learning was carried out, taking into account the influence of this one on the motivation and self-esteem of the student; and the assessment of competences, having as indicators communication skills, teamwork and responsibility, among others. The development of a "digital" portfolio per team was used: i) to improve reflection on learning, ii) to stimulate student motivation, iii) to incorporate students in the evaluation and focus it on performance, and iv) to bring the learning achieved closer to the professional tasks of the discipline. We .can conclude that the action implemented had an impact on teaching practice to the extent that what was "investigated" was motivated by the reality of professional practice, putting into context all the subjects being reviewed in the Degree and contributing to the improvement of the quality of face-to-face teaching.Universidad de Alcal

Integra BioFis 5.0. A collaborative, participatory and interdisciplinary experience for undergraduates in nursing

The pandemic has forced us to reinvent ourselves and to consider new strategies in education. Motivation, fundamental to student performance, has been seriously compromised. In this sense, the type of motivation we are interested in "fostering" is intrinsic motivation, closely linked to the concept of learning-centered goals and objectives. The action implemented is committed to the approach to challenge-based learning-gamification in the Degree in Nursing (UAH), in order to develop an integrative training with an interdisciplinary focus. Biochemistry and Physiology came together in Integra BioFis 5.0 and through participatory and collaborative techniques we pursued meaningful learning. All the students of the Biochemistry and Physiology subjects (n = 120) took part in the learning experience, organized in 12 teams. The action was carried out online through the virtual platform: - An initial session, in which the objectives, methodology, timetable and evaluation criteria were clarified. Topics that aroused the students? interest were randomly assigned (https://bit.ly/3tfJaCi). The assigned tutors guided the students in overcoming the challenges of each stage. - The development of the action consisted of a series of phases: i) documentation and literature search; ii) integration of objectives and choice of presentation format; iii) elaboration of the graphical document; iv) peer review of presentations and voting for the best contribution. The students' papers, as well as the rubrics with comments and suggestions from each of the instructors, were returned to the teams immediately. - A final session, in which they reflected on the activity they had carried out, highlighting the positive aspects of the training for the development of competences and skills: i) search for information from quality sources; ii) synthesis of contents; iii) work as a team; iv) elaboration of an original and own work. Voting was then shown for the papers presented, revealing the names of the three teams with the most votes, finalists and winners. Learning assessment was conducted by taking into account the influence of learning on motivation and the student's self-esteem and competences, with indicators such as progress, content, sources, graphical document production, teamwork and responsibility, among others. As an important element that makes gamification work, a reward for participation (awarding of a participation diploma) and for the best Integra BioFis 5.0 graphic document presented (awarding of diplomas and prizes-gifts to the members of the winning team) was considered as an important element that makes gamification work. From this educational strategy, it can be concluded that gamification is a constructive experience, taking advantage of all the benefits of implementing the overcoming of challenges in the educational environment. This has had an impact on teaching practice, to the extent that what has been "reflected" and "worked" in Integra BioFis 5.0 has contributed to improving the quality of virtual teaching, "fostering" intrinsic motivation in students.Universidad de Alcal

Induction of more aggressive tumoral phenotypes in LNCaP and PC3 cells by serum exosomes from prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent and sixth most fatal cancer in men worldwide. Despite its high prevalence, our understanding of its etiology and the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of the disease is substantially limited. In recent years, the potential participation of exosomes in this process has been suggested. Therefore, we aim to study the effect of exosomes isolated from the serum of patients with PCa on various cellular processes associated with increased tumor aggressiveness in two PCa cell lines: LNCaP-FGC and PC3. The exosomes were isolated by filtration wand ultracentrifugation. Their presence was confirmed by immunodetection of specific markers and their size distribution was analyzed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results obtained demonstrated that serum exosomes from PCa patients increased migration of PC3 cells and neuroendocrine differentiation of LNCaP-FGC cells regardless of the grade of the tumor. PCa serum exosomes also enhanced the secretion of enzymes related to invasiveness and resistance to chemotherapeutics, such as extracellular matrix metalloproteases 2 and 9, and gamma-glutamyltransferase in both cell lines. Altogether, these findings support the pivotal participation of exosomes released by tumoral cells in the progression of PCa. Future studies on the molecular mechanisms involved in the observed changes could provide crucial information on this disease and help in the discovery of new therapeutic targets.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) P118/00526, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), A way to make Europe to AM

Designing a biochemical escape room for undergraduate students

Gamification is increasingly used in Higher Education to foster intrinsic motivation of undergraduate students. In this sense, we designed the Biochemical Escape Room. The students, organized in teams and through the overcoming of challenges, tackled the contents reviewed in the face-to-face classes. In addition, the tests helped in the training of different soft skills such as creative thinking, deductive thinking, collaborative work, teamwork, manual dexterity, communication and time management. The activity was designed in several phases: i) setting the learning objectives; ii) adapting the physical spaces to the teams involved in the "game"; iii) acquiring the material; iv) preparing, placing the tests and the clues and general rehearsal before D-day; and v) D-day. The results obtained after the design of the Biochemical Escape Room and its implementation show that one of the objectives of the activity had been achieved: it provided an "injection" of motivation for teachers and students. And although there are certain aspects that need to be improved, designing the escape room for the biochemistry laboratories has meant a significant change both for the instructors, in the way we teach, and for the students, in the manner they learn.Universidad de Alcalá. Vicerrectorado de Innovación Docente y Transformación Digita

Nursing Escape Room UAH: motivation to learn in the biochemistry laboratory

In recent years, Escape Room-type games have gained popularity as a way to motivate students to become more actively involved in their learning. The overall objective of the proposed activity is to promote students' intrinsic motivation and, in turn, meaningful learning. For this purpose, we implemented the game in our laboratories. The first year students of the degree in Nursing participated in the Nursing Escape Room UAH. We chose a situation reviewed in the theoretical-practical contents of the Biochemistry subject they were studying. Our aim was to achieve significant learning through overcoming challenges and collaborative work. After the implementation of the activity, we assessed it. The participating students felt that the activity: i) had helped them to learn and understand the subject; ii) had been a fun and different experience when it came to understanding the content; iii) had been a motivating experience; and iv) they liked the fact that it was carried out in a team. In addition, these students obtained a higher average score and pass rate on the learning assessment test than those who had not participated in the game. The instructors involved also highlighted that the activity was a motivating and different way of learning and recommended its continuation. Altogether, we can conclude that the Nursing Escape Room UAH game has been a motivating experience in the Biochemistry laboratory for both students and instructors. We anticipate that the activity may improve the quality of the teaching-learning process.Universidad de Alcalá. Vicerrectorado de Innovación Docente y Transformación Digita

Allergen sensitization stratifies IL-31 production by memory T cells in atopic dermatitis patients

Background:The role of allergen sensitization in IL-31 production by T cells and specifically in the clinical context of atopic dermatitis (AD) has not been characterized. MethodsThe response to house dust mite (HDM) in purified memory T cells cocultured with epidermal cells from AD patients (n=58) and control subjects (n=11) was evaluated. AD-associated cytokines from culture supernatants, plasma proteins and mRNA expression from cutaneous lesions were assessed and related with the clinical features of the patients. ResultsHDM-induced IL-31 production by memory T cells defined two subsets of AD patients according to the presence or absence of IL-31 response. Patients in the IL-31 producing group showed a more inflammatory profile, and increased HDM-specific (sp) and total IgE levels compared to the IL-31 non-producing group. A correlation between IL-31 production and patient's pruritus intensity, plasma CCL27 and periostin was detected. When the same patients were analyzed based on sp IgE and total IgE levels, an increased IL-31 in vitro response, as well as type 2 markers in plasma and cutaneous lesions, was found in patients with sp IgE levels > 100 kUA/L and total IgE levels > 1000 kU/L. The IL-31 response by memory T cells was restricted to the cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA)(+) T-cell subset. ConclusionIgE sensitization to HDM allows stratifying IL-31 production by memory T cells in AD patients and relating it to particular clinical phenotypes of the disease

Occurrence of Black Aspergilli and Ochratoxin A on Grapes in Italy

Ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine is linked to contamination by several Aspergillus species. In 2003–2007, grape samples collected in Italy were surveyed for the presence of OTA and OTA-producing fungi. A. niger aggregate was the prevalent species. A. carbonarius, which is considered the main source of OTA in grapes, was mostly found in Southern Italy. The year and the environment had an important influence on the development of the black Aspergillus populations. Testing with ELISA showed OTA to be present in about 30% of the samples. Samples from Southern Italy showed the highest occurrence (45%) and also the highest OTA concentration, sometimes higher than 2 μg/L. The values decreased progressively the further North the samples were taken