A peculiar Spanish Timber Floor, the "Revoltón": a Diagnostic Example at the "Palacio del Marqués de Benicarló"

The paper deals with the application of the Italian method for assessing on-site and diagnosing timber elements to a distinctive Spanish type of horizontal structure called "revolton" i.e. jack arch floor. As in Spain does not exist a specific regulation for the on-site diagnosis of timber elements, this analysis was performed according to the Italian standard UNI 11119. Due to the peculiar features of the jack arch floor some modifications were applied to the method. During spring 2012 the authors had the opportunity to carry out a pilot project by making a diagnostic analysis on a whole three stories building. The building, Marquees of Benicarlo's Palace, located in Spain in the town of Benicarlo, between Barcelona and Valencia, was erected during the second half of the XVIII century. It maintains the original internal distribution and structure, and it is characterized by precious ceramic decorations on walls and floors. All the horizontal structures studied inside the palace were jack arch floor except the roof structure that was also made of timber. The results of the project described in the paper clarify the specific problems of the horizontal structures and the roof surveyed during the fieldwork. These results are accompanied by several plans that represent the information recovered on-site and lead to a complete assessment of the structures. The plans include the grading based on wood defects, the local moisture content of wood, the superficial and inner decay due to insects and rot and the deformation of the joists. In this way it was possible to locate the areas of the palace where more problems were concentrated, and better understand the causes and origin of the damages.Diodato, M.; Macchioni, N.; Brunetti, M.; Pizzo, B.; Nocetti, M.; Burato, P.; Sozzi, L.... (2013). A peculiar Spanish Timber Floor, the "Revoltón": a Diagnostic Example at the "Palacio del Marqués de Benicarló". Advanced Materials Research. 778:1064-1071. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.778.1064S10641071778E. Cubero, El lujo señorial de lo sencillo (The noble luxury of simplicity), Revistart: Revista de las artes, 125 (2007) pp.8-10.C. Colón de Carvajal y Fibla, La casa-palacio de los Marqueses de Benicarló (The Marquees of Benicarló's Palace), Numen. Revista de excelencia, (2011) on-line.La casa de los Marqueses de Benicarló nos abre sus puertas (The Marquees of Benicarló's House opens its doors), MasQrural, 21 (2008) pp.85-94.M. Diodato, Variaciones constructivas y formales en forjados y cubiertas (Constructive and formal variations in floors and roofs), in: F. Vegas, C. Mileto, Valencia. Centro histórico. Ocho siglos de arquitectura residencial (Historic centre. Eight Centuries of residential architecture), Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, (2013).N. Macchioni, Inspection techniques for ancient wooden structures, in: P. Roca, J.L. Gonzalez, E. Onate, P.B. Lourenco (Eds. ), Structural analysis of historical constructions II: possibilities of numerical and experimental techniques, CIMNE, Barcelona, 1998, pp.149-162.N. Macchioni, M. Piazza, Italian standardization activity in the field of diagnosis and restoration of ancient timber structures, in: F.M. Mazzolani (Ed. ), Protection of historical buildings - PROHITECH 09, vol. 1-2, Taylor & Francis Group, London, 2009, pp.349-353.G. Lear, B. Kasal, R. Anthony, Resistance drilling, in: B. Kasal, T. Tannert (Eds. ), In situ assessment of structural timber, State of the art report of the RILEM TC 215-AST, Springer.N. Macchioni, M. Brunetti, B. Pizzo, P. Burato, M. Nocetti, S. Palanti, The timber structures in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem: Typologies and diagnosis, Journal of cultural heritage, Vol. 13 Issue 4 Supplement S (2012) pp. E42-E53

Understanding Spanish Timber Jack Arch Floors: Examples of Assessment and Conservation Issues

[EN] Jack arch floors are structures made of timber joists, with round or squared section, and segmental vaults either made of flat tiles or poured plaster conglomerate. They are especially diffused along the Mediterranean coast of Spain and can be considered as a main feature of the historical and vernacular architecture of the area. In order to assess and grade these structures several Spanish standards have been considered; however, even if the information contained is useful the Italian standard for the on-site diagnosis UNI 11119 of 2004 has been preferred. The method described in this standard leads the assessment through the grading of each and every timber element and the assignation of bearing properties that are essential for the consolidation project. This article will expose three examples of jack arch floors of the Valencian Community graded using the Italian standard and the conservation issues that arise from the results.Diodato, M.; Macchioni, N.; Brunetti, M.; Pizzo, B.; Nocetti, M.; Burato, P.; Sozzi, L.... (2015). Understanding Spanish Timber Jack Arch Floors: Examples of Assessment and Conservation Issues. International Journal of Architectural Heritage. 9(6):641-654. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2015.104119364165496Diodato, M., Macchioni, N., Brunetti, M., Pizzo, B., Nocetti, M., Burato, P., … Mileto, C. (2013). A Peculiar Spanish Timber Floor, the «Revoltón»: A Diagnostic Example at the «Palacio del Marqués de Benicarló». Advanced Materials Research, 778, 1064-1071. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.778.1064Lear, G., Kasal, B., & Anthony, R. (2010). Resistance Drilling. RILEM State of the Art Reports, 51-57. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0560-9_5Macchioni, N., Brunetti, M., Pizzo, B., Burato, P., Nocetti, M., & Palanti, S. (2012). The timber structures in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem: Typologies and diagnosis. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 13(4), e42-e53. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2012.10.004Riggio, M., Anthony, R. W., Augelli, F., Kasal, B., Lechner, T., Muller, W., & Tannert, T. (2013). In situ assessment of structural timber using non-destructive techniques. Materials and Structures, 47(5), 749-766. doi:10.1617/s11527-013-0093-6Tannert, T., Anthony, R. W., Kasal, B., Kloiber, M., Piazza, M., Riggio, M., … Yamaguchi, N. (2013). In situ assessment of structural timber using semi-destructive techniques. Materials and Structures, 47(5), 767-785. doi:10.1617/s11527-013-0094-5Vegas, F. (2013). Parameterisation of Gypsum Mortar for Alternative Structural Consolidation of Traditional Floors. Advances in Materials, 2(4), 48. doi:10.11648/j.am.20130204.1

Difficulty of Chemistry concepts. How to make easy the learning. Gamification

Chemistry is considered highly complex by students. To achieve meaningful learning, it is necessary to show its usefulness in daily life, in the development of a country and a society. Learning will be significant when the student can incorporate it into the structures of prior knowledge that they possess, acquiring significance for them. In this specific case, the research aims to contribute to the improvement of the teaching-learning processes of Chemistry in the studies of the Degree in Engineering. In this work we studied how gamification facilitates the learning of our students. For this reason, the research group has used an Escape Room based on the topics of our subject. The Escape Room is called Was it a murder or a suicide? They will find material in the classroom, and they will have to decide if it was a murder. In the end, the students who participate in these activities have increased their calcification in the matter by around 1-2 points. And in the final questionnaire, they have said that they would like to use gamification in other subjects. Some students told us that it was their first time taking an exam and that it was fun.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Pluripotency factors regulate the onset of Hox cluster activation in the early embryo

Pluripotent cells are a transient population of the mammalian embryo dependent on transcription factors, such as OCT4 and NANOG, which maintain pluripotency while suppressing lineage specification. However, these factors are also expressed during early phases of differentiation, and their role in the transition from pluripotency to lineage specification is largely unknown. We found that pluripotency factors play a dual role in regulating key lineage specifiers, initially repressing their expression and later being required for their proper activation. We show that Oct4 is necessary for activation of HoxB genes during differentiation of embryonic stem cells and in the embryo. In addition, we show that the HoxB cluster is coordinately regulated by OCT4 binding sites located at the 3′ end of the cluster. Our results show that core pluripotency factors are not limited to maintaining the precommitted epiblast but are also necessary for the proper deployment of subsequent developmental programs.This work was funded by the Spanish government (grants BFU2017-84914-P and PID2020-115755GB-I00 to M.M.; BFU2016-74961-P and BFU2016-81887-REDT to J.L.G.-S.), the Andalusian government (grant BIO-396 to J.L.G.-S.), and the European Research Council (ERC; grant agreement 740041 to J.L.G.-S.). M.T. held Juan de la Cierva fellowships from the Spanish government (FJCI-2017-31791 and IJC2019-038897-I), R.R. and R.D.A. held FPU fellowships from the government, and J.V. was the recipient of a “La Caixa” fellowship. Work in the laboratory of J.L.G.-S. was supported by a María de Maetzu Unit of Excellence Grant (MDM-2016-0687) to the Department of Gene Regulation and Morphogenesis of the CABD. The CBMSO is supported by an institutional grant from the Fundación Ramon Areces, and the CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN), and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (grant CEX2020-001041-S funded by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). : With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2020-001041-S)

Pluripotency factors regulate the onset of Hox cluster activation in the early embryo

Pluripotent cells are a transient population of the mammalian embryo dependent on transcription factors, such as OCT4 and NANOG, which maintain pluripotency while suppressing lineage specification. However, these factors are also expressed during early phases of differentiation, and their role in the transition from pluripotency to lineage specification is largely unknown. We found that pluripotency factors play a dual role in regulating key lineage specifiers, initially repressing their expression and later being required for their proper activation. We show that Oct4 is necessary for activation of HoxB genes during differentiation of embryonic stem cells and in the embryo. In addition, we show that the HoxB cluster is coordinately regulated by OCT4 binding sites located at the 3′ end of the cluster. Our results show that core pluripotency factors are not limited to maintaining the precommitted epiblast but are also necessary for the proper deployment of subsequent developmental programs

Characterization of the Regulatory Region of the Zebrafish Prep1.1 Gene: Analogies to the Promoter of the Human PREP1

Prep1 is a developmentally essential TALE class homeodomain transcription factor. In zebrafish and mouse, Prep1 is already ubiquitously expressed at the earliest stages of development, with important tissue-specific peculiarities. The Prep1 gene in mouse is developmentally essential and has haploinsufficient tumor suppressor activity [1]. We have determined the human Prep1 transcription start site (TSS) by primer extension analysis and identified, within 20 bp, the transcription start region (TSR) of the zebrafish Prep1.1 promoter. The functions of the zebrafish 5′ upstream sequences were analyzed both by transient transfections in Hela Cells and by injection in zebrafish embryos. This analysis revealed a complex promoter with regulatory sequences extending up to −1.8, possibly −5.0 Kb, responsible for tissue specific expression. Moreover, the first intron contains a conserved tissue-specific enhancer both in zebrafish and in human cells. Finally, a two nucleotides mutation of an EGR-1 site, conserved in all species including human and zebrafish and located at a short distance from the TSS, destroyed the promoter activity of the −5.0 Kb promoter. A transgenic fish expressing GFP under the −1.8 Kb zebrafish promoter/enhancer co-expressed GFP and endogenous Prep1.1 during embryonic development. In the adult fish, GFP was expressed in hematopoietic regions like the kidney, in agreement with the essential function of Prep1 in mouse hematopoiesis. Sequence comparison showed conservation from man to fish of the sequences around the TSS, within the first intron enhancer. Moreover, about 40% of the sequences spread throughout the 5 Kbof the zebrafish promoter are concentrated in the −3 to −5 Kb of the human upstream region

Mammalian Glutaminase Gls2 Gene Encodes Two Functional Alternative Transcripts by a Surrogate Promoter Usage Mechanism

Glutaminase is expressed in most mammalian tissues and cancer cells, but the regulation of its expression is poorly understood. An essential step to accomplish this goal is the characterization of its species- and cell-specific isoenzyme pattern of expression. Our aim was to identify and characterize transcript variants of the mammalian glutaminase Gls2 gene.We demonstrate for the first time simultaneous expression of two transcript variants from the Gls2 gene in human, rat and mouse. A combination of RT-PCR, primer-extension analysis, bioinformatics, real-time PCR, in vitro transcription and translation and immunoblot analysis was applied to investigate GLS2 transcripts in mammalian tissues. Short (LGA) and long (GAB) transcript forms were isolated in brain and liver tissue of human, rat and mouse. The short LGA transcript arises by a combination of two mechanisms of transcriptional modulation: alternative transcription initiation and alternative promoter. The LGA variant contains both the transcription start site (TSS) and the alternative promoter in the first intron of the Gls2 gene. The full human LGA transcript has two in-frame ATGs in the first exon, which are missing in orthologous rat and mouse transcripts. In vitro transcription and translation of human LGA yielded two polypeptides of the predicted size, but only the canonical full-length protein displayed catalytic activity. Relative abundance of GAB and LGA transcripts showed marked variations depending on species and tissues analyzed.This is the first report demonstrating expression of alternative transcripts of the mammalian Gls2 gene. Transcriptional mechanisms giving rise to GLS2 variants and isolation of novel GLS2 transcripts in human, rat and mouse are presented. Results were also confirmed at the protein level, where catalytic activity was demonstrated for the human LGA protein. Relative abundance of GAB and LGA transcripts was species- and tissue-specific providing evidence of a differential regulation of GLS2 transcripts in mammals

Desempeño y procesos gubernamentales

El texto que aquí se presenta, permite al lector reconocer distintas problemáticas de las administraciones públicas en diferentes vertientes, así como reconocer diagnósticos y alternativas de solución, acordes a la problemática planteada.El gobierno se materializa a través de la Administración Pública, opera por medio de dependencias y entidades adscritas al Poder Ejecutivo. Sus principales actividades están relacionadas con la planeación, la organización, la administración de recursos humanos, la dirección y el control. A partir de este planteamiento inicial, el libro que aquí se presenta La Administración Pública y el gobierno en México: desempeño y procesos gubernamentales pretende aportar al estudio de las administraciones públicas, a través del análisis del desempeño de los gobiernos, tanto en el ámbito federal, estatal y municipal

Multicentre, randomised, single-blind, parallel group trial to compare the effectiveness of a Holter for Parkinson's symptoms against other clinical monitoring methods: study protocol

Introduction In recent years, multiple studies have aimed to develop and validate portable technological devices capable of monitoring the motor complications of Parkinson's disease patients (Parkinson's Holter). The effectiveness of these monitoring devices for improving clinical control is not known. Methods and analysis This is a single-blind, cluster-randomised controlled clinical trial. Neurologists from Spanish health centres will be randomly assigned to one of three study arms (1:1:1): (a) therapeutic adjustment using information from a Parkinson?s Holter that will be worn by their patients for 7 days, (b) therapeutic adjustment using information from a diary of motor fluctuations that will be completed by their patients for 7 days and (c) therapeutic adjustment using clinical information collected during consultation. It is expected that 162 consecutive patients will be included over a period of 6 months. The primary outcome is the efficiency of the Parkinson?s Holter compared with traditional clinical practice in terms of Off time reduction with respect to the baseline (recorded through a diary of motor fluctuations, which will be completed by all patients). As secondary outcomes, changes in variables related to other motor complications (dyskinesia and freezing of gait), quality of life, autonomy in activities of daily living, adherence to the monitoring system and number of doctor?patient contacts will be analysed. The noninferiority of the Parkinson's Holter against the diary of motor fluctuations in terms of Off time reduction will be studied as the exploratory objective. Ethics and dissemination approval for this study has been obtained from the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge Ethics Committee. The results of this study will inform the practical utility of the objective information provided by a Parkinson's Holter and, therefore, the convenience of adopting this technology in clinical practice and in future clinical trials. We expect public dissemination of the results in 2022.Funding This work is supported by AbbVie S.L.U, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III [DTS17/00195] and the European Fund for Regional Development, 'A way to make Europe'