Dibenzo[1,2,5]thiadiazepines are non-competitive GABAA receptor antagonists

"A new process for obtaining dibenzo[c,f][1,2,5]thiadiazepines (DBTDs) and their effects on GABAA receptors of guinea pig myenteric neurons are described. Synthesis of DBTD derivatives began with two commercial aromatic compounds. An azide group was obtained after two sequential reactions, and the central ring was closed via a nitrene to obtain the tricyclic sulfonamides (DBTDs). Whole-cell recordings showed that DBTDs application did not affect the holding current but inhibited the currents induced by GABA (IGABA), which are mediated by GABAA receptors. These DBTDs effects reached their maximum 3 min after application and were: (i) reversible, (ii) concentration-dependent (with a rank order of potency of 2c = 2d > 2b), (iii) mediated by a non-competitive antagonism, and (iv) only observed when applied extracellularly. Picrotoxin (which binds in the channel mouth) and DBTDs effects were not modified when both substances were simultaneous applied. Our results indicate that DBTD acted on the extracellular domain of GABAA channels but independent of the picrotoxin, benzodiazepine, and GABA binding sites. DBTDs used here could be the initial model for synthesizing new GABAA receptor inhibitors with a potential to be used as antidotes for positive modulators of these receptors or to induce experimental epilepsy.

Realidad Aumentada Aplicada en la Enseñanza del Electromagnetismo

En los últimos años el término de Realidad Aumentada (RA) ha ido adquiriendo popularidad e importancia, considerándose como una tecnología clave para el mundo de los negocios y el entretenimiento. El uso de la RA en la educación muestra un potencial para mejorar el método de aprendizaje tradicional. La RA es un tópico que ha despertado el interés de muchas personas y más en el campo de la educación, ya que por ser tan novedoso resulta atractivo para los estudiantes porque representa una nueva forma de aprender por medio de otra tecnología. La aplicación propuesta ayuda a introducir a los estudiantes de una forma de interacción y visualización, en tres dimensiones, de los campos electromagnéticos. En este trabajo se propone una nueva forma de enseñar la interacción de las variables electromagnéticas

Phosphomannosylation and the functional analysis of the extended Candida albicans MNN4-like gene family

We thank Luz A. López-Ramírez (Universidad de Guanajuato) for technical assistance. This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (ref. CB2011/166860; PDCPN2014-247109, and FC 2015-02-834), Universidad de Guanajuato (ref. 000025/11; 0087/13; ref. 1025/2016; Convocatoria Institucional para Fortalecer la Excelencia Académica 2015; CIFOREA 89/2016), Programa de Mejoramiento de Profesorado (ref. UGTO-PTC-261), and Red Temática Glicociencia en Salud (CONACYT-México). NG acknowledges the Wellcome Trust (086827, 075470, 101873, and 200208) and MRC Centre for Medical Mycology for funding (N006364/1). KJ was supported by a research visitor grant to Aberdeen from China Scholarship Council (CSC No. 201406055024). The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02156/full#supplementary-materialPeer reviewedPublisher PD

DESARROLLO DE UN SISTEMA EMBEBIDO PARA LA ROTACIÓN DE FIBRA ÓPTICA PARA CONTROLAR LA DEPOSICIÓN UNIFORME DE MATERIAL EN UNA CÁMARA DE VACÍO

ResumenLas metodologías ágiles han sido ampliamente utilizadas en los últimos años para cubrir las demandas de desarrollo de software actuales que requieren un tiempo corto de desarrollo sin sacrificar la calidad del producto. Estas metodologías dan prioridad a la satisfacción del usuario, sin embargo, no han sido tan ampliamente utilizadas en el desarrollo de software embebido ya que las características de estos proyectos difieren en varios aspectos al desarrollo de software convencional. En este trabajo se reporta el desarrollo de un software embebido que permite controlar un motor de pasos con la finalidad de controlar la rotación de fibra óptica durante la deposición del material en una cámara de vacío, para lograr un recubrimiento uniforme y heterogéneo del material sobre la fibra. En este trabajo se presenta una metodología de trabajo que toma las características principales de la metodología Scrum, adaptándolas al desarrollo de un proyecto académico con aplicaciones en el área de ciencia de los materiales. Este proyecto reporta además los retos encontrados en el desarrollo del mismo en la colaboración multicultural y multidisciplinaria.Palabras Claves: Desarrollo de software embebido, metodología ágil, Scrum. AbstractAgile methodologies have been widely used in the last decades to respond to new trends in software development that demand a faster software production without sacrificing its quality. Although these methodologies have been successful for prioritizing certain aspects of software development to ensure that user needs have been fulfilled, these have not been widely used in embedded systems development, given some fundamental differences with non-embedded software projects. In this work we report the development of embedded software for allowing the control of a step motor and the rotation of an optical fibre during the deposition of material in a vacuum camera, in order to achieve a uniform and heterogeneous deposition over the fibre. In this work the methodology used in this development is presented. This methodology adapts the Scrum methodology for a university school project with application in the research area of materials science. Finally, this project also reports on challenges of a multidisciplinary and multicultural team.Keywords: Embedded software development, Agile methodology, Scrum

El Balanced Scorecard como herramienta de gestión de la planificación estratégica, ejemplo de aplicación

Introduction: strategic planning is conceived with the desire of the organization to improve, to establish a guide for decision-making oriented to the fulfillment of objectives; to fulfill this purpose it is essential to have a methodology and tools for measurement and control; otherwise, only a document without real application will be available. Methodology: a compilation of theories and concepts, as well as events related to the historical background of planning and strategy underpin research. Results: The Research Center in Models and Management Systems Cimogsys as part of its research projects developed a computer tool, which based on the theory of the Balanced Scorecard allows to measure compliance with strategic planning. Conclusions: this document presents the configuration and application in an academic unit of an Ecuadorian university.Introducción: la planificación estratégica se concibe con el deseo de la organización de mejorar, de establecer una guía para la toma de decisiones orientada al cumplimiento de objetivos; para cumplir este propósito es fundamental contar con una metodología y herramientas de medición y control; caso contario solo se contará con un documento sin aplicación real. Metodología: una recopilación de teorías y conceptos, así como sucesos relacionados con los antecedentes históricos de la planificación y la estratégica fundamentan la investigación. Resultados: el Centro de Investigación en Modelos y Sistemas de Gestión Cimogsys como parte de sus proyectos de investigación desarrolló una herramienta informática, la cual basada en la teoría del Balanced Scorecard permite medir el cumplimiento de la planificación estratégica. Conclusiones: el presente documento presenta la configuración y aplicación en una unidad académica de una universidad ecuatoriana

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Docking Studies of Chalcone and Flavone Analogs as Antioxidants and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

Several oxidative processes are related to a wide range of human chronic and degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease, which also has been related to cholinergic processes. Therefore, search for new or improved antioxidant molecules with acetylcholinesterase activity is essential to offer alternative chemotherapeutic agents to support current drug therapies. A series of chalcone (2a–2k) and flavone (3a–3k) analogs were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, and antioxidant agents using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2-20-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS•), and β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay. Compounds more active were 3j and 2k in DPPH with EC50 of 1 × 10−8 and 5.4 × 10−3 µg/mL, respectively; 2g and 3i in ABTS (1.14 × 10−2 and 1.9 × 10−3 µg/mL); 2e, 2f, 3f, 2j, and 3j exceeded the α-tocopherol control in the β-carotene assay (98–99% of antioxidant activity). At acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay, flavones were more active than chalcones; the best results were compounds 2d and 3d (IC50 21.5 and 26.8 µg/mL, respectively), suggesting that the presence of the nitro group enhances the inhibitory activity. The docking of these two structures were made to understand their interactions with the AChE receptor. Although further in vivo testing must be performed, our results represent an important step towards the identification of improved antioxidants and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Sensibilidad y especificidad de PCR anidada y spoligotyping como pruebas rápidas de diagnóstico de tuberculosis bovina en tejido fresco

Quick diagnosis of tuberculosis in cattle is critical to decide whether or not to quarantine or depopulate a herd. Currently, decisions are based on culture, which takes between four and eight weeks to accomplish. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate relative sensitivity and specificity of two PCR´s (MPB70 and IS6110) and spoligotyping as quick diagnostic tests for cattle tuberculosis in fresh tissue.El diagnóstico rápido de tuberculosis en ganado es crítico para decidir si un hato debe someterse a cuarentena de manera definitiva o despoblarse. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la sensibilidad y la especificidad relativa de dos PCR´s (MPB70 y IS6110) y spoligotyping como pruebas rápidas de diagnóstico de tuberculosis bovina en tejido fresco

Procesamiento de señales EEG de un niño con TEA al desarrollar actividades de lectoescritura: determinación de potencia y cronología de eventos

Se presenta el análisis y procesamiento de señales electroencefalográficas (EEG) de un niño de 10 años con Trastorno del Espectro Autista al desarrollar actividades de lectoescritura, en este caso, relacionar en pruebas sucesivas palabras con su imagen representativa, como la palabra manzana con una imagen de una manzana. Una vez adquiridas las muestras, se lleva a cabo un análisis de potencia para cada canal mediante el Teorema de Wiener – Khinchine y posteriormente, mediante la Transformada Wavelet se determinan los momentos en los que hubo mayor actividad en cada electrodo. Con esta información se presenta la cronología de eventos de activación registrada por cada electrodo

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality