Multilayered linked democracy

Although confidence in democracy to tackle societal problems is falling, new civic participation tools are appearing supported by modern ICT technologies. These tools implicitly assume different views on democracy and citizenship which have not been fully analysed, but their main fault is their isolated operation in non-communicated silos. We can conceive public knowledge, like in Karl Popper's World 3, as distributed and connected in different layers and by different connectors, much as it happens with the information in the web or the data in the linked data cloud. The interaction between people, technology and data is still to be defined before alternative institutions are founded, but the so called linked democracy should rest on different layers of interaction: linked data, linked platforms and linked ecosystems; a robust connectivity between democratic institutions is fundamental in order to enhance the way knowledge circulates and collective decisions are made

Introduction to Linked Data

This chapter presents Linked Data, a new form of distributed data on the web which is especially suitable to be manipulated by machines and to share knowledge. By adopting the linked data publication paradigm, anybody can publish data on the web, relate it to data resources published by others and run artificial intelligence algorithms in a smooth manner. Open linked data resources may democratize the future access to knowledge by the mass of internet users, either directly or mediated through algorithms. Governments have enthusiastically adopted these ideas, which is in harmony with the broader open data movement

Linked democracy : foundations, tools, and applications

Chapter 1Introduction to Linked DataAbstractThis chapter presents Linked Data, a new form of distributed data on theweb which is especially suitable to be manipulated by machines and to shareknowledge. By adopting the linked data publication paradigm, anybody can publishdata on the web, relate it to data resources published by others and run artificialintelligence algorithms in a smooth manner. Open linked data resources maydemocratize the future access to knowledge by the mass of internet users, eitherdirectly or mediated through algorithms. Governments have enthusiasticallyadopted these ideas, which is in harmony with the broader open data movement

Linked Democracy

This open access book shows the factors linking information flow, social intelligence, rights management and modelling with epistemic democracy, offering licensed linked data along with information about the rights involved. This model of democracy for the web of data brings new challenges for the social organisation of knowledge, collective innovation, and the coordination of actions. Licensed linked data, licensed linguistic linked data, right expression languages, semantic web regulatory models, electronic institutions, artificial socio-cognitive systems are examples of regulatory and institutional design (regulations by design). The web has been massively populated with both data and services, and semantically structured data, the linked data cloud, facilitates and fosters human-machine interaction. Linked data aims to create ecosystems to make it possible to browse, discover, exploit and reuse data sets for applications. Rights Expression Languages semi-automatically regulate the use and reuse of content. ; Links information flow, social intelligence, rights management, and modelling with epistemic democracy Presents examples of regulatory and institutional desig

Assigning Creative Commons Licenses to Research Metadata: Issues and Cases

This paper discusses the problem of lack of clear licensing and transparency of usage terms and conditions for research metadata. Making research data connected, discoverable and reusable are the key enablers of the new data revolution in research. We discuss how the lack of transparency hinders discovery of research data and make it disconnected from the publication and other trusted research outcomes. In addition, we discuss the application of Creative Commons licenses for research metadata, and provide some examples of the applicability of this approach to internationally known data infrastructures.Comment: 9 pages. Submitted to the 29th International Conference on Legal Knowledge and Information Systems (JURIX 2016), Nice (France) 14-16 December 201

Study on child welfare of adopted chinese children at schools in Castilla y León

[ES] nuevos desafíos sociales que deben ser abordados. Más allá de los procesos de aprendizaje propios de los centros escolares, se percibe a la escuela como el espacio idóneo para que niños, niñas y adolescentes desarrollen habilidades y comportamientos que les permitan vivir en sociedad y como un escenario de confluencia para culturas totalmente diferenciadas. En el caso de España, la llegada de los niños adoptados de origen chino contribuyó a aumentar la diversidad étnica de la población española en las aulas, y con ello los desafíos para la institución educativa. El objetivo principal de esta investigación estriba en conocer el bienestar social de los niños y niñas adoptados en la R.P. China que cursan la Educación Secundaria en Castilla y León, dado que se presenta como un grupo potencialmente expuesto a las tensiones que se generan en contextos educativos heterogéneos. Para alcanzar el objetivo se han realizado 10 entrevistas semiestructuradas. La estrategia analítica seguida se asienta en la teoría fundamentada. Los resultados muestran que es un grupo objeto de burla por sus rasgos fenotípicos asiáticos, pero no por su condición de adoptados. [EN] The increasing diversity in schools as a result of international adoption has created new social challenges that need to be addressed. Beyond the learning processes of schools, the school is perceived as the ideal space for children and adolescents to develop skills and behaviours that allow them to live in society and it is considered a meeting point of different cultures. In the case of Spain, adopted Chinese children contributed to ethnic diversity in the classrooms, and the schools had to face this challenge. The main objective of this study is to know the social well-being of children adopted in the Republic of China who attend Secondary Education in Castile and Leon since it presents itself as a group potentially exposed to the tensions that arise in heterogeneous groups in educational settings. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted to meet the objective. The analytical strategy mfollowed is based on well-founded theory. The results show that it is a group mocked for its Asian phenotypic features, but not for its adopted status

MIF/CXCR4 signaling axis contributes to survival, invasion, and drug resistance of metastatic neuroblastoma cells in the bone marrow microenvironment

Background: The bone marrow (BM) is the most common site of dissemination in patients with aggressive, metastatic neuroblastoma (NB). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the aggressive behavior of NB cells in the BM niche are still greatly unknown. In the present study, we explored biological mechanisms that play a critical role in NB cell survival and progression in the BM and investigated potential therapeutic targets. Methods: Patient-derived bone marrow (BM) primary cultures were generated using fresh BM aspirates obtained from NB patients. NB cell lines were cultured in the presence of BM conditioned media containing cell-secreted factors, and under low oxygen levels (1% O2) to mimic specific features of the BM microenvironment of high-risk NB patients. The BM niche was explored using cytokine profiling assays, cell migration-invasion and viability assays, flow cytometry and analysis of RNA-sequencing data. Selective pharmacological inhibition of factors identified as potential mediators of NB progression within the BM niche was performed in vitro and in vivo. Results: We identified macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) as a key inflammatory cytokine involved in BM infiltration. Cytokine profiling and RNA-sequencing data analysis revealed NB cells as the main source of MIF in the BM, suggesting a potential role of MIF in tumor invasion. Exposure of NB cells to BM-conditions increased NB cell-surface expression of the MIF receptor CXCR4, which was associated with increased cell viability, enhanced migration-invasion, and activation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways. Moreover, subcutaneous co-injection of NB and BM cells enhanced tumor engraftment in mice. MIF inhibition with 4-IPP impaired in vitro NB aggressiveness, and improved drug response while delayed NB growth, improving survival of the NB xenograft model. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BM infiltration by NB cells may be mediated, in part, by MIF-CXCR4 signaling. We demonstrate the antitumor efficacy of MIF targeting in vitro and in vivo that could represent a novel therapeutic target for patients with disseminated high-risk NB

Endothelial dysfunction is an early indicator of sepsis and neutrophil degranulation of septic shock in surgical patients

Producción CientíficaBackground: Stratification of the severity of infection is currently based on the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, which is difficult to calculate outside the ICU. Biomarkers could help to stratify the severity of infection in surgical patients. Methods: Levels of ten biomarkers indicating endothelial dysfunction, 22 indicating emergency granulopoiesis, and six denoting neutrophil degranulation were compared in three groups of patients in the first 12 h after diagnosis at three Spanish hospitals. Results: There were 100 patients with infection, 95 with sepsis and 57 with septic shock. Seven biomarkers indicating endothelial dysfunction (mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-ProADM), syndecan 1, thrombomodulin, angiopoietin 2, endothelial cell-specific molecule 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and E-selectin) had stronger associations with sepsis than infection alone. MR-ProADM had the highest odds ratio (OR) in multivariable analysis (OR 11·53, 95 per cent c.i. 4·15 to 32·08; P = 0·006) and the best area under the curve (AUC) for detecting sepsis (0·86, 95 per cent c.i. 0·80 to 0·91; P < 0·001). In a comparison of sepsis with septic shock, two biomarkers of neutrophil degranulation, proteinase 3 (OR 8·09, 1·34 to 48·91; P = 0·028) and lipocalin 2 (OR 6·62, 2·47 to 17·77; P = 0·002), had the strongest association with septic shock, but lipocalin 2 exhibited the highest AUC (0·81, 0·73 to 0·90; P < 0·001). Conclusion: MR-ProADM and lipocalin 2 could be alternatives to the SOFA score in the detection of sepsis and septic shock respectively in surgical patients with infection.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grants PI15/01959, PI15/01451 and PI16/01156

Viral RNA load in plasma is associated with critical illness and a dysregulated host response in COVID‑19

Background. COVID-19 can course with respiratory and extrapulmonary disease. SARS-CoV-2 RNA is detected in respiratory samples but also in blood, stool and urine. Severe COVID-19 is characterized by a dysregulated host response to this virus. We studied whether viral RNAemia or viral RNA load in plasma is associated with severe COVID-19 and also to this dysregulated response. Methods. A total of 250 patients with COVID-19 were recruited (50 outpatients, 100 hospitalized ward patients and 100 critically ill). Viral RNA detection and quantification in plasma was performed using droplet digital PCR, targeting the N1 and N2 regions of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein gene. The association between SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and viral RNA load in plasma with severity was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression. Correlations between viral RNA load and biomarkers evidencing dysregulation of host response were evaluated by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficients. Results. The frequency of viral RNAemia was higher in the critically ill patients (78%) compared to ward patients (27%) and outpatients (2%) (p < 0.001). Critical patients had higher viral RNA loads in plasma than non-critically ill patients, with non-survivors showing the highest values. When outpatients and ward patients were compared, viral RNAemia did not show significant associations in the multivariate analysis. In contrast, when ward patients were compared with ICU patients, both viral RNAemia and viral RNA load in plasma were associated with critical illness (OR [CI 95%], p): RNAemia (3.92 [1.183–12.968], 0.025), viral RNA load (N1) (1.962 [1.244–3.096], 0.004); viral RNA load (N2) (2.229 [1.382–3.595], 0.001). Viral RNA load in plasma correlated with higher levels of chemokines (CXCL10, CCL2), biomarkers indicative of a systemic inflammatory response (IL-6, CRP, ferritin), activation of NK cells (IL-15), endothelial dysfunction (VCAM-1, angiopoietin-2, ICAM-1), coagulation activation (D-Dimer and INR), tissue damage (LDH, GPT), neutrophil response (neutrophils counts, myeloperoxidase, GM-CSF) and immunodepression (PD-L1, IL-10, lymphopenia and monocytopenia). Conclusions. SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and viral RNA load in plasma are associated with critical illness in COVID-19. Viral RNA load in plasma correlates with key signatures of dysregulated host responses, suggesting a major role of uncontrolled viral replication in the pathogenesis of this disease.This work was supported by awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Rapid Research Funding initiative (CIHR OV2 – 170357), Research Nova Scotia (DJK), Atlantic Genome/Genome Canada (DJK), Li-Ka Shing Foundation (DJK), Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DJK), the “Subvenciones de concesión directa para proyectos y programas de investigación del virus SARS‐CoV2, causante del COVID‐19”, FONDO–COVID19, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20/00110, CIBERES, 06/06/0028), (AT) and fnally by the “Convocatoria extraordinaria y urgente de la Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y León, para la fnanciación de proyectos de investigación en enfermedad COVID-19” (GRS COVID 53/A/20) (CA). DJK is a recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Translational Vaccinology and Infammation. APT was funded by the Sara Borrell Research Grant CD018/0123 funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-fnanced by the European Development Regional Fund (A Way to Achieve Europe programme). The funding sources did not play any role neither in the design of the study and collection, not in the analysis, in the interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript

Entramado productivo minero en San Juan. Herramientas de intervención desde un abordaje territorial.

Esta investigación es un proyecto de desarrollo tecnológico social (PDTS) orientado a generar por un lado, conocimiento sobre la dinámica socio-técnica de la principal actividad económica en la provincia y por otro, realizar propuestas innovadoras que aprovechen y fortalezcan las capacidades territoriales generadas y acumuladas por la minería en San Juan.EEA San JuanFil: Moscheni, Margarita. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Ureta, Adriana Alimé. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Checcarelli Pintor, Angelo Emmanuel. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Heredia Flores, Augusto Marcos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: De la Torre, Delia Inés. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Funes Poblete, Eliana Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Esquivel, Fabiana Eugenia. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Hernández, Juan Jesús. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Neffa, Julio César. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: De los Ríos, Leonardo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Doncel Ramallo, Lourdes Romina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Marta Lidia. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Godoy, María Victoria. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Grimalt, Miguel. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Luna, Pedro. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz Flores, Renzo Federico. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Gili Diez, Valeria. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; Argentin