Terahertz-based system for dehydration analysis of hydrogel contact lenses

The use of terahertz-based techniques has grown very fast since they are capable of performingevaluations at molecular level, being very suitable for the analysis of biological samples and bioma-terials such as those for contact lenses. These biomaterials are continuously evolving to enhancethe lens wearer’s comfort by improving their hydration state and surface wettability. Therefore, thisstudy examines a novel terahertz system for the assessment of the temporary in vitro dehydrationof hydrogel contact lenses, which provides a new index to assess their state of hydration. Severalconventional and silicone hydrogel contact lenses and lens care solutions were analysed. Traditionalmethods such as the gravimetric determination of water content and the measurement of the staticcontact angle were also carried out for the validation of the developed system. The dehydrationrate measurements of contact lenses obtained with the proposed system correlated with the valuesprovided by traditional methods. As a whole, conventional hydrogel contact lenses exhibited thelowest values for dehydration rate. The tests conducted on various solutions showed a correlationbetween the wetting action of the solution and the dehydration rate of the contact lens material.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Las rutas literarias: una estrategia de carácter competencial para la educación literaria dentro y fuera del aula

El desarrollo de una ruta literaria, desde un enfoque competencial, busca acercar a nuestros jóvenes a la educación literaria desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar en donde las competencias básicas educativas sean el referente en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. En nuestros planteamientos seguimos la idea de J. Culler, para el que en la lectura literaria existe un condicionante sociocultural que permite el reconocimiento de la marca literaria, la experiencia del mundo, y el aprendizaje de los códigos literarios y las relaciones de intertextualidad

Actividad fungicida/fungistática in vitro del fosfito de manganeso contra hongos patógenos habitantes del suelo con soja

Las pudriciones de raíz y tallo (PRYT) en el cultivo de soja causadas por patógenos habitantes del suelo son enfermedades comúnmente encontradas en campos de soja y son una de las causas más importantes de pérdidas económicas. La sensibilidad micelial de Fusarium virguliforme, Fusarium tucumaniae, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum y Macrophomina phaseolina fue evaluada en medio de cultivo agar papa glucosa (25 mL) suplementado con diferentes concentraciones (µg mL-1) de fosfito de manganeso (PhiMn) diluido en agua (0; 25; 37.5; 50; 100; 200; 300; 400; 500; 800 y 1000). La sensibilidad del crecimiento micelial fue analizada usando análisis de regresión lineal logarítmico. La concentración de PhiMn necesaria para inhibir el 50% del crecimiento micelial (CI50) fue calculada. Los valores de CI50 fueron desde 105 µg mL-1 (Fusarium spp.) hasta 409 µg mL-1 (M. phaseolina). La formación de esclerocios fue completamente inhibida a 500 µg mL-1. Los resultados del presente estudio representan el primer reporte de la acción fungicida/fungistática in vitro del Phi contra los hongos agentes causales de PRYT en el cultivo de soja.Soybean root and stem rots caused by soil-borne pathogens are diseases commonly found in soybean fields, and one of the most important causes of crop losses. In the present study, the mycelial sensitivity of Fusarium virguliforme, F. tucumaniae, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Macrophomina phaseolina was evaluated on potato dextrose agar media (25 mL) supplemented with different concentrations of manganese phosphite (MnPhi) diluted in water (0, 25, 37.5, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 800 and 1000 µg/mL). Mycelial growth sensitivity was analyzed using logarithmic linear regression analysis. The MnPhi concentration needed to inhibit 50% of the mycelial growth (IC50) ranged from 105 µg/mL (Fusarium spp.) to 409 µg/mL (M. phaseolina). Sclerotia were completely inhibited at 500 µg/mL. The results of our study represent the first report on the direct in vitro fungicidal/fungistatic action of MnPhi against fungi that are causal agents of soil-borne diseases.Fil: Carmona, Marcelo Anibal. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Fitopatología; ArgentinaFil: Simonetti, Ester. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Biología Aplicada y Alimentos. Cátedra de Microbiología Agrícola; ArgentinaFil: Ravotti, M. E.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Fitopatología; ArgentinaFil: Scandiani, María Mercedes. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Luque, A. G.. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Formento, N. A.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Entre Ríos. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Sautua, Francisco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Fitopatología; Argentin

Chlorinated Guaiane-Type Sesquiterpene Lactones as Cytotoxic Agents against Human Tumor Cells

This article belongs to the Section Bioactives and Nutraceuticals.Guaiane-type sesquiterpene lactones are naturally occurring compounds which have attracted attention due to their array of biological activities. In this study, chlorinated guaianolides 1–8, isolated from plants of the genus Centaurea, were evaluated against the human leukemia cell lines HL-60, U-937, a specific U-937 cell line that overexpresses the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and the human melanoma cell line SK-MEL-1. This established the relevant structure-growth inhibition relationships. Chlorohyssopifolins A (1), C (3) and D (4) and linichlorin A (6) were the most potent compounds in terms of inducing growth inhibition in the four cell lines. IC50 values were below 10 μM in all cases. Chlorohyssopifolins A (1) and D (4) and linichlorin A (6) were potent apoptotic inducers in human U-937 leukemia cells, as determined by fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry, and their mechanism of action was associated with cytochrome c release, caspase activation and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase cleavage. Overall this study shows that guaianolides induce cytotoxicity against human tumor cells and provides important insights into the cell death pathways that are involved.This research was funded by FEDER and AGENCIA CANARIA DE INVESTIGACIÓN, INNOVACIÓN Y SOCIEDAD DE LA INFORMACIÓN (PROID2017010095 FEDER/ACIISI) and in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Regional Development Fund (PGC2018-094503-B-C21)

Criterios para la rehabilitacion sostenible del espacio público en la ciudad de bloque abierto : Criteria for the sustainable rehabilitation of public space in the open-block city

El articulo desarrolla una nueva metodologia de analisis, diagnosis y propuestas para la rehabilitacion sostenible del espacio público que aparece generosamente en los conjuntos residenciales de bloque abierto en muchas ciudades europeas. El espacio público, abandonado durante décadas, se convierte ahora en un espacio de oportunidad que sostiene acciones mediambientales, de nuevos usos, de ahorro de agua, de gestion de residuos, de movilidad ediciente y de organizacion de espacios con multiactividad, imprescindibles para la nueva vision de sostenibilidad de la ciudad consolidada. Este objetivo integrado se articula mediante el Plan Especial de Mejora de la Calidad Ambiental del Espacio Público en Moratalaz, en Madrid, España

Prestige y 11-M : la vertebración política de la gestión de catástrofes

Between 2002 and 2004 Spain was jolted by two big crisis scenarios with a very different nature but two common characteristics. On one hand, they required an immediate response of some magnitude and complex management. On the other, they both caused a very deep impact on Spanish society and politics. Such two characteristics made them especially interesting in order to analyzed multiple aspects related to decisionmaking and “first response” management as a reaction against catastrophes. We can also withdraw several lessons about which factors and criteria are employed by critical actors to evaluate crisis management and “first response” as successful. This article focuses on the lessons learned by analyzing two singular events occurred in Spain and partly associated to very Spanish civic culture keys and political dynamics. At the same time, both of them have similar features and iconic meaning to other more recent crisis occurred in other places around the world. The first case studied is the crisis provoked by the accident of the oil ship “Prestige”, drawn in November 2002, 130 miles away from the Spanish coast in Galicia. It poured around 64.000 tones of oil in the Atlantic Ocean. It provoked a huge ecological disaster mainly in Galicia though to a great extent it reached 2.500Kms of coastal line, from the North of Portugal to the South of France. The second one is the terrorist attack of March 11th, 2004 in Madrid. A cell of Islamist terrorists linked to Al Qaeda made explode simultaneously ten bombs in train stations and suburban trains in four different locations. More than 1.600 people were injured and 191 were killed. The analysis of crisis management success criteria and factors is framed in two competitive research projects 1 . Three different qualitative research techniques are employed: (a) interviews to critical actors involved in crisis management; (b) semistructured questionnaires addressed to key informants; and (c) four workshops, composed by experts, managers and decisionmakers involved in Prestige Oil Spill and M11 crisis. The method used is an original and renewed version of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). The application of these techniques was complemented with the information obtained out of other sources such as official reports, press releases, articles and specialized monographs and some results of the inquiries carried out by the Spanish Center of Sociological Research (CIS