Characterisation of the National Network of Silos and Granaries in Castilla y León, Spain: A Case Study

[EN] In 1995, Spain’s National Network of Silos and Granaries was divided into a basic network and a secondary network. Of the total storage units identified, 541 are vertical units or silos forming part of the secondary network. Unlike the silos of the basic network, many of the secondary network silos, which were primarily reception units sited near the areas where the grain was grown, have been repurposed. This article describes a methodology developed to inventory silos based on their general features, construction and technological facilities, and its application to the 123 silos in the secondary network in the Spanish region of Castilla y León. The exercise was conducted in conjunction with a socioeconomic analysis of the communities where the silos are located. All the silos studied are located in the most productive areas and close to farms, have small storage capacities and include all but one silo typology, the transition macro-silo. Some are still used for grain storage, whilst others have been converted into multi-purpose warehouses, gymnasiums, community centres or other specialised facilities. Ideas for silo repurposing implemented in other regions of Spain and other countries might well be applied in Castilla y León. In addition, this methodology has proved useful to identify proposals that are viable in the more highly populated communities.S

First Multiplatform Application for Pharmacies in Spain, Which Guides the Prescription of Probiotics According to Pathology

[Abstract] The study of the intestinal microbiota is one of the biggest challenges in the current clinical environment. In this context, probiotics have been a focus of interest to achieve the stability of the intestinal microbiota, due to probiotics’ key role in its regulation. The development of an automated system that allows practitioners to easily search for the optimal probiotic is the main objective of this study. Although it is true that there have been previous attempts of applications with this purpose, only authorized probiotics available in the countries of origin, Canada and the USA, were included. This event was a limitation when looking for those endorsed in other countries such as Spain. Thus, a system has been developed from free and multiplatform technologies that allow its use without any cost, finding, in a simple way, those probiotics that would be ideal for each pathology, either from a browser or from a cell phone.This work was supported by the “Collaborative Project in Genomic Data Integration (CICLOGEN)” PI17/01826 funded by the Carlos III Health Institute from the Spanish National plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013–2016, the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF)—“A way to build Europe.”, the General Directorate of Culture, Education and University Management of Xunta de Galicia (Ref. ED431D 2017/16), the “Galician Network for Colorectal Cancer Research” (Ref. ED431D 2017/23) and Competitive Reference Groups (Ref. ED431C 2018/49). The funding body did not have a role in the experimental design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, and writing of this manuscript. CITIC, as a Research Center accredited by Galician University System, is funded by “Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Universidades” of Xunta de Galicia, 80% co-financed by the ERDF Funds, ERDF Operational Programme Galicia 2014-2020, and the remaining 20% by “Secretaría Xeral de Universidades” (Grant ED431G 2019/01)Xunta de Galicia; ED431D 2017/16Xunta de Galicia; ED431D 2017/23Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2018/49Xunta de Galicia; ED431G 2019/0

Reduced Binding of the Endolysin LysTP712 to Lactococcus lactis ΔftsH Contributes to Phage Resistance

Absence of the membrane protease FtsH in Lactococcus lactis hinders release of the bacteriophage TP712. In this work we have analyzed the mechanism responsible for the non-lytic phenotype of L. lactis ΔftsH after phage infection. The lytic cassette of TP712 contains a putative antiholin–pinholin system and a modular endolysin (LysTP712). Inducible expression of the holin gene demonstrated the presence of a dual start motif which is functional in both wildtype and L. lactis ΔftsH cells. Moreover, simulating holin activity with ionophores accelerated lysis of wildtype cells but not L. lactis ΔftsH cells, suggesting inhibition of the endolysin rather than a role of FtsH in holin activation. However, zymograms revealed the synthesis of an active endolysin in both wildtype and L. lactis ΔftsH TP712 lysogens. A reporter protein was generated by fusing the cell wall binding domain of LysTP712 to the fluorescent mCherry protein. Binding of this reporter protein took place at the septa of both wildtype and L. lactis ΔftsH cells as shown by fluorescence microscopy. Nonetheless, fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated that mutant cells bound 40% less protein. In conclusion, the non-lytic phenotype of L. lactis ΔftsH is not due to direct action of the FtsH protease on the phage lytic proteins but rather to a putative function of FtsH in modulating the architecture of the L. lactis cell envelope that results in a lower affinity of the phage endolysin to its substrate.This work has been supported by grant BIO2013-46266R (MINECO, Spain). BM, PG, and AR also acknowledge funding by GRUPIN14-139 Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2013-2017 (Principado de Asturias, Spain) and FEDER EU funds.Peer reviewe

Probiotic: First Prescriptive Application of Probiotics in Spain

[Abstract] The study of the intestinal microbiota is one of the greatest challenges in today’s clinical environment. Thus, probiotics have been established as a focus for its stability, as they play a key role in its regulation. The development of an automated technique that allows the practitioners the smooth search for the optimal probiotic is postulated as the main objective of this study. Despite the existence of previous attempts at applications for this purpose, they have only been carried out for the countries of origin, preventing them from being used in others such as Spain. Therefore, a system has been developed with open, multi-platform, and free technologies, which manages to locate the optimal probiotic for each pathology.Xunta de Galicia; ED431G/01Xunta de Galicia; ED431D 2017/16Xunta de Galicia; ED431D 2017/2

LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIPS FOR SEVERAL LARGE PELAGIC SHARKS FROM THE INDIAN OCEAN

Fork length-dressed weight relationships on shark species (Prionace glauca, Isurus oxyrinchus, Carcharhinus longimanus and Carcharhinus falciformis) were obtained from 8,331 observations recorded at sea on longliners. Significance of the sex factor was specifically assessed using GLM procedures. Linear and non-linear fits of size-weight data by species were tested. The results obtained were compared with those values provided by other authors using equivalent type of data. Deviation of the predicted versus observer weights were also assessed. Both types of fits tested have provided similar results, their confidence intervals plotted are mostly overlapped and the equations obtained were generally within those confidence intervals. Predicted mean dressed weights at size by species were in most cases quite similar or just mimetic to those obtained using equations previously reported.En prens

Multivariate analysis and extraction of parameters in resistive RAMs using the Quantum Point Contact model

A multivariate analysis of the parameters that characterize the reset process in RRAMs has been performed. The different correlations obtained can help to shed light on the current components that contribute in the Low Resistance State (LRS) of the technology considered. In addition, a screening method for the Quantum Point Contact (QPC) current component is presented. For this purpose the second derivative of the current has been obtained using a novel numerical method which allows determining the QPC model parameters. Once the procedure is completed, a whole RS series of thousands of curves is studied by means of a genetic algorithm. The extracted QPC parameter distributions are characterized in depth to get information about the filamentary pathways associated with LRS in the low voltage conduction regime.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness TEC2014-52152-C3-2-R , MTM2013-47929-P (also supported by the FEDER program)IMB-CNM Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness TEC2014-52152-C3-1-R and TEC2014-54906-JIN (supported by the FEDER program)ENIAC Joint Undertaking-PANACHE project.Spanish ICTS Network MICRONANOFAB

Recent advances in high-resolution Ground Penetrating Radar on board an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP) (13th. 2019. Krakow, Poland

Design and Selection of Engineered Lytic Proteins With Staphylococcus aureus Decolonizing Activity

Staphylococcus aureus causes various infections in humans and animals, the skin being the principal reservoir of this pathogen. The widespread occurrence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) limits the elimination and treatment of this pathogen. Phage lytic proteins have been proven as efficient antimicrobials against S. aureus. Here, a set of 12 engineered proteins based on endolysins were conceptualized to select the most optimal following a stepwise funnel approach assessing parameters including turbidity reduction, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), time-kill curves, and antibiofilm assays, as well as testing their stability in a broad range of storage conditions (pH, temperature, and ionic strength). The engineered phage lysins LysRODIΔAmi and ClyRODI-H5 showed the highest specific lytic activity (5 to 50 times higher than the rest), exhibited a shelf-life up to 6 months and remained stable at temperatures up to 50°C and in a pH range from 3 to 9. LysRODIΔAmi showed the lower MIC values against all staphylococcal strains tested. Both proteins were able to kill 6 log units of the strain S. aureus Sa9 within 5 min and could remove preformed biofilms (76 and 65%, respectively). Moreover, LysRODIΔAmi could prevent biofilm formation at low protein concentrations (0.15–0.6 μM). Due to its enhanced antibiofilm properties, LysRODIΔAmi was selected to effectively remove S. aureus contamination in both intact and disrupted keratinocyte monolayers. Notably, this protein did not demonstrate any toxicity toward human keratinocytes, even at high concentrations (22.1 μM). Finally, a pig skin ex vivo model was used to evaluate treatment of artificially contaminated pig skin using LysRODIΔAmi (16.5 μg/cm). Following an early reduction of S. aureus, a second dose of protein completely eradicated S. aureus. Overall, our results suggest that LysRODIΔAmi is a suitable candidate as antimicrobial agent to prevent and treat staphylococcal skin infections.This research study was supported by grants Innovative Training Networks (ITN) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions H2020-MSCA-ITN-2018 Reference 813439, IDI/2018/000119 (Asturias Innovation 2018–2020, Principado de Asturias, Spain and FEDER/EU) and BLAAT ID 67 (ANIWHA ERA-Net EC Program), PCIN-2017-001 (AEI/FEDER/EU, Spain) and Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) under grant (G066919N). PG, AR, YB, and RL were members of the FWO Vlaanderen funded “Phagebiotics” research community (WO.016.14) and the bacteriophage network FAGOMA II. LR-R was a Serra Húnter Lecturer

STAT6 variants associate with relapse of fosinophilic esophagitis in patients receiving long-term proton pump inhibitor therapy

Background & Aims: Based on histologic features, variants in STAT6 are associated with a poor initial response to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy in pediatric patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). We investigated whether these genetic variants are associated with a poor long-term response in children with EoE who initially responded to PPI therapy. Methods: We performed a prospective longitudinal cohort study of children ages 2 to 16 years who met the diagnostic criteria for EoE (≥15 eosinophils/high-power field [eos/hpf]), responded to 8 weeks of treatment with 2 mg/kg/d PPI (<15 eos/hpf), and whose dose then was reduced to 1 mg/kg/d PPI (maintenance therapy) for 1 year, at which point biopsy specimens were collected by endoscopy. Genomic DNA was isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy tissue and was genotyped for variants of STAT6. Remission of inflammation was assessed at eos/hpf thresholds of <15 and ≤5. Results: Among 73 patients who received 1 mg/kg/d PPI maintenance therapy for 1 year, 13 patients (18%) had 6 to 14 eos/hpf, 36 patients (49%) had 5 or fewer eos/hpf, and 24 patients (33%) relapsed to EoE (≥15 eos/hpf). Carriage of any of 3 STAT6 variants in linkage disequilibrium (r2 ≥0.8; rs324011, rs167769, or rs12368672) was associated with a 2.3- to 2.8-fold increase in the odds of EoE relapse, and with a 2.8- to 4.1-fold increase in the odds of having 6 to 14 eos/hpf. For rs324011, the odds ratio [95% CI] for relapse was 2.77 [1.11, 6.92]; P = .029, and the odds ratio [95% CI] for having 6 to 14 eos/hpf was 3.06 [1.27, 7.36]; P = .012. Conclusions: Pediatric EoE patients who initially respond to PPI therapy and carry STAT6 variants rs324011, rs167769, or rs12368672 are at increased risk of relapse after 1 year of PPI maintenance therapy

En función de la orientación recibida, ¿qué eligen hacer nuestros estudiantes en su futuro próximo?

L'orientació acadèmica i professional té nombroses limitacions dins del sistema educatiu i, tot i ser un dret dels estudiants dins la legislació espanyola, són diverses les millores que caldria fer per poder garantir la seva eficàcia. En aquesta investigació es presenta una anàlisi de la relació que existeix entre la percepció de l'alumnat sobre l'orientació acadèmica i professional rebuda en els seus respectius centres educatius i la selecció del itinerari un cop finalitzats els seus estudis de batxillerat. Amb una mostra de 540 individus, els resultats permeten confirmar que sols el 38.3% dels alumnes entrevistats consideren útil l'orientació rebuda, mentre que la resta dels entrevistats o bé no han rebut orientació o bé tenen una percepció negativa de la mateixa. Independentment d'això, un gran percentatge dels alumnes decideix l'itinerari que desitjaria cursar al finalitzar els seus estudis de batxillerat, fet que suposa un problema al no comptar amb la correcta informació que els centres educatius haurien d'haver proporcionat.Academic-professional guidance has numerous limitations within the educational system and, despite being a right of students within Spanish legislation, there are several improvements that should be made today to ensure its effectiveness. This research presents an analysis of the relationship that exists between the students' perception of the academic-professional guidance received in their educational centers and the selection of the itinerary after completing their Baccalaureate studies. With a sample of 540 subjects, the results confirm that only 38.3% of the students interviewed perceive the orientation received as useful, the rest being students who either have not received orientation or have a negative perception of it. Regardless of this, a large percentage of students decide the itinerary that they would like to take at the end of their studies in Baccalaureate, which is a problem because they do not have the correct information that schools should provide.La orientación académico-profesional cuenta con numerosas limitaciones dentro del sistema educativo y, a pesar de ser un derecho de los estudiantes dentro de la legislación española, varias son las mejoras que deberían realizarse en la actualidad para garantizar su eficacia. En esta investigación se presenta un análisis de la relación que existe entre la percepción del alumnado acerca de la orientación académico-profesional recibida en sus centros educativos y la selección del itinerario tras finalizar sus estudios de Bachillerato. Con una muestra de 540 sujetos, los resultados permiten confirmar que solo el 38.3% de los alumnos entrevistados percibe la orientación recibida como útil, siendo el resto de alumnos que o bien no han recibido orientación o tienen una percepción negativa de la misma. Independientemente de ello, un gran porcentaje de alumnos decide el itinerario que desearía cursar al finalizar sus estudios en Bachillerato, lo cual supone un problema al no contar con la correcta información que los centros educativos deberían proporcionarles