The multi-reference contrast method: facilitating set enrichment analysis

Set enrichment analysis (SEA) is used to identify enriched biological categories/terms within high-throughput differential expression experiments. This is done by evaluating the proportion of differentially expressed genes against a background reference (BR). However, the choice of the "appropriate" BR is a perplexing problem and results will depend on it. Here, a visualization procedure that integrates results from several BRs and a stability analysis of enriched terms is presented as a tool to aid SEA. The multi-reference contrast method (MRCM) combines results from multiple BRs in a unique picture. The application of the proposed method was illustrated in one proteomic and three microarray experiments. The MRCM facilitates the exploration task involved in ontology analysis on proteomic/genomic experiments, where consensus terms were found to validate main experimental hypothesis. The use of more than one reference may provide new biological insights. The tool automatically highlights non-consensus terms assisting SEA.S

On the determinants of local government debt: Does one size fit all?

This paper analyzes the factors that directly influence levels of debt in Spanish local governments. Specifically, the main objective is to find out the extent to which indebtedness is originated by controllable factors that public managers can influence, or whether it hinges on other variables beyond managers’ control. The importance of this issue has intensified since the start of the crisis in 2007, due to the abrupt decline of revenues and, simultaneously, to the stagnation (or even increase) in the levels of costs facing these institutions face. Results can be explored from multiple perspectives, given that the set of explanatory factors is also multiple. However, the most interesting result relates to the varying effect of each covariate depending on each municipality’s specific debt level, which suggests that economic policy recommendations should not be homogeneous across local governments

Contraste ontológico: una herramienta para el análisis de experimentos de proteómica/genómica funcional

La identificación de la activación de funciones biológicas u otros fenómenos mediados por genes suele ser una tarea compleja y dificultosa. Los resultados dependen de las referencias de contraste y la manera en que son visualizados o proporcionados al investigador, para su análisis. Presentamos aquí, una herramienta para analizar y comparar, en forma simultánea, múltiples referencias de contraste mediante una interfaz de análisis simple, que identifica automáticamente los términos biológicos de interés; facilitando la exploración y descubrimiento, en experimentos genómicos/proteómicos funcionales. La herramienta fue evaluada en un experimento de expresión diferencial de proteínas en progresión tumoral mediada por SPARC, permitiendo la identificación de vías metabólicas asociadas a ella tales como organización de filamentos intermedios del citoesqueleto y regulación positiva de migración de leucocitos entre otras.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

State recognition for ‘contested languages’: a comparative study of Sardinian and Asturian, 1992–2010

While the idea of a named language as a separate and discrete identity is a political and social construct, in the cases of Sardinian and Asturian doubts over their respective ‘languageness’ have real material consequences, particularly in relation to language policy decisions at the state level. The Asturian example highlights how its lack of official status means that it is either ignored or subjected to repeated challenges to its status as a language variety deserving of recognition and support, reflecting how ‘official language’ in the Spanish context is often understood in practice as synonymous with the theoretically broader category of ‘language’. In contrast, the recent state recognition of Sardinian speakers as a linguistic minority in Italy (Law 482/1999) illustrates how legal recognition served to overcome existing obstacles to the implementation of regional language policy measures. At the same time, the limited subsequent effects of this Law, particularly in the sphere of education, are a reminder of the shortcomings of top-down policies which fail to engage with the local language practices and attitudes of the communities of speakers recognized. The contrastive focus of this article thus acknowledges the continued material consequences of top-down language classification, while highlighting its inadequacies as a language policy mechanism which reinforces artificial distinctions between speech varieties and speakers deserving of recognition

AMS/RF-CMOS circuit design for wireless transceivers

Editorial.-- El pdf es la versión post-print.Peer Reviewe

Analysis and Design of a Relational Database Management System and Implementation of its Nucleus

This paper describes the objectives and characteristics of a new relational database management system (RDBMS), that is being developed in the Technical University of Madrid. The project includes a development of a user interface based on the utilization of a universal relation, following the guidelines presented by Ullman in [62]. For this we will implement a graphical interface of similar characteristics to XWINDOWS. Furthermore, the RDBMS will be composed of a nonprocedural query language, an integrated data dictionary which contains database scheme in third normal form, a standard physical storage structure for all databases, an access optimization system based on a new relational algebra (t - algebra, defined by Garcia in [34] and published in [32]) and an integrity constraint control system. On the other hand, this RDBMS will allow the posterior development of a knowledge database system and an object-oriented database system, considering results of researchers that are going to be carried out in both areas

Decoding the endometrial niche of Asherman's Syndrome at single-cell resolution

Asherman's Syndrome is characterized by intrauterine adhesions or scarring, which cause infertility, menstrual abnormalities, and recurrent pregnancy loss. The pathophysiology of this syndrome remains unknown, with treatment restricted to recurrent surgical removal of intrauterine scarring, which has limited success. Here, we decode the Asherman's Syndrome endometrial cell niche by analyzing data from over 200,000 cells with single-cell RNA-sequencing in patients with this condition and through in vitro analyses of Asherman's Syndrome patient-derived endometrial organoids. Our endometrial atlas highlights the loss of the endometrial epithelium, alterations to epithelial differentiation signaling pathways such as Wnt and Notch, and the appearance of characteristic epithelium expressing secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor during the window of implantation. We describe syndrome-associated alterations in cell-to-cell communication and gene expression profiles that support a dysfunctional pro-fibrotic, pro-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenic environment