Virtualisation of the test environment for signalling

ERTMS is a well-known, well-performing technology applied all over the world but it still lacks flexibility when it comes to authorisation and certification procedures. The key of its success in the future lies as much in cost reduction as in simplification of placing in service procedures. This holds true for the implementation of a new subsystem and even more so for new software releases related to subsystems already in service. Currently the placing in service process of ETCS components and subsystems requires a large amount of tests due to the complexity of the signalling systems and the different engineering rules applied. The S2R Multi-Annual Action Plan states that the effort and time consumption of these onsite tests are at least 30% for any particular project. VITE research project (VIrtualisation of the Test Environment) aims at reducing these onsite tests to a minimum while ensuring that laboratory tests can serve as evidence for valid system behaviour and are accepted by all stakeholders involved in the placing in service process. This paper presents the first VITE results

Asociación de las metaloproteinasas y sus inhibidores tisulares con el sistema de la fibrinolisis y los marcadores de activación neutrofílica en los derrames pleurales paraneumónicos

Consultable des del TDXTítol obtingut de la portada digitalitzadaIntroducción Los enzimas proteolíticos responsables de la degradación de la matriz extracelular han demostrado tener un papel importante en los procesos inflamatorios, aunque han sido poco estudiados en la patogenia de los derrames pleurales (DP) paraneumónicos. Las metaloproteinasas (MMP) son una familia de proteasas que degradan prácticamente todos los componentes proteicos de la matriz extracelular. La actividad de las MMP está controlada por inhibidores tisulares específicos (TIMP). En la patogenia de los DP paraneumónicos se han implicado mecanismos inflamatorios y de alteración del sistema de la fibrinolisis pleural. La respuesta inflamatoria pleural iniciada por el mesotelio provoca un aumento de la permeabilidad vascular y la liberación de mediadores inflamatorios, como la IL-8 y el TNF-?, que favorecerán la formación de DP exudado, la invasión del espacio pleural por células inflamatorias y la liberación de productos de la degranulación del neutrófilo, como la elastasa polimorfonuclear. El sistema de la fibrinolisis esta regulado por los activadores de plasminógeno (PA), tisular PA (t-PA) y urokinasa PA (u-PA), y por los inhibidores de los activadores del plasminógeno (PAI), tipos 1 y 2. Objetivos El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar diferentes metaloproteinasas y sus inhibidores tisulares en diferentes tipos de DP y evaluar su asociación con los marcadores de activación neutrofílica y con elementos del sistema de la fibrinolisis en los DP paraneumónicos. Método El estudio incluyó 51 DP paraneumónicos (30 empiemas o DP paraneumónicos complicados, 21 DP paraneumónicos no complicados), 28 DP tuberculosos, 30 DP neoplásicos y 30 trasudados. Se determinaron por ELISA, en plasma y líquido pleural, los marcadores de activación neutrofílica (TNF-?, IL-8, elastasa polimorfonuclear), elementos del sistema de la fibrinolisis (t-PA, u-PA, PAI-1, PAI-2), y diferentes MMP (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9) y TIMP (TIMP-1, TIMP-2). Resultados Todos los líquidos pleurales estudiados presentaron concentraciones elevadas de MMP-2 y TIMP-1. Los empiemas y DP paraneumónicos complicados presentaron concentraciones de MMP-1, MMP-8 y MMP-9 significativamente superiores respecto al resto de exudados. En este grupo de DP, no se observó asociación entre los niveles de MMP y TIMP en plasma y en líquido pleural. En los DP paraneumónicos, se observó una asociación positiva de MMP-1, MMP-8 y MMP-9 con los marcadores de activación neutrofílica, u-PA y PAI-1. Además, la MMP-8 en líquido pleural se relacionó con la presencia de paquipleuritis residual en este grupo de derrames pleurales. Conclusiones 1. Existen niveles elevados de MMP-2 y TIMP-1 en todos los líquidos pleurales estudiados, lo que sugiere una expresión constitutiva por parte de las células mesoteliales pleurales. 2. Las concentraciones en líquido pleural de MMP-1, MMP-8 y MMP-9 son significativamente superiores en los DP paraneumónicos complicados y empiemas. 3. La ausencia de correlación entre las concentraciones de MMP y TIMP en líquido pleural y plasma, en los empiemas y DP paraneumómicos complicados, sugiere una expresión compartimentalizada de las mismas en el espacio pleural. 4. En los DP paraneumónicos existe una íntima asociación positiva de MMP-1, MMP-8 y MMP-9 con los marcadores de activación neutrofílica, u-PA y PAI-1, relacionados con el desarrollo de complicaciones locales en los DP bacterianos. 5. La MMP-8, en líquido pleural, se relaciona con la presencia de paquipleuritis residual en los DP paraneumónicos. 6. La asociación de MMP-1, MMP-8 y MMP-9 con los marcadores de activación neutrofílica y el sistema de la fibrinolisis, así como la relación de la MMP-8 con la presencia de complicaciones locales en los DP paraneumónicos, sugiere un papel relevante de estas metaloproteinasas en la fisiopatología de los DP bacterianos.Introduction: Proteolytic enzymes responsible for breakdown of the extracellular matrix play an important role in inflammatory processes, although they have been little studied in relation to the pathogenesis of exudative pleural effusions (PE). The metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteases that break down virtually all the protein components of the extracellular matrix. The activity of the MMPs is controlled by specific tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Inflammatory mechanisms and alterations in the balance of pleural fibrinolysis have been implicated in the pathophysiology of infectious PE. The inflammatory response initiated by the mesothelium provokes increased vascular patency and the release of inflammatory mediators, e.g. interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-?), thereby favoring formation of exudative PE, invasion of the pleural space by inflammatory cells and release of neutrophil degranulation products, such as polymorphonuclear elastase (PMN-E). The fibrinolytic system is regulated by two plasminogen activators (PAs), tissue PA (t-PA) and urokinase PA (u-PA), and by plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAIs) types 1 and 2 (PAI-1, PAI-2). Objectives: The aim of this work was to study several metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors in PE and to evaluate the association between these enzymes and neutrophilic activation markers and elements of the fibrinolysis system in parapneumonic effusions. Methods: The study included 51 parapneumonic effusions (30 empyema or complicated parapneumonic, 21 non-complicated parapneumonic), 28 tuberculous, 30 malignant and 30 transudates. Neutrophilic activation markers (TNF-?, IL-8, polymorphonuclear elastase), fibrinolytic system variables (t-PA, u-PA, PAI-1, PAI-2), and several MMPs (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9) and TIMPs (TIMP-1, TIMP-2), were determined by ELISA in plasma and pleural fluid. Results: Elevated MMP-2 and TIMP-1 concentrations were observed in all the pleural fluid samples studied. The group of empyema or complicated parapneumonic effusions showed higher MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-9 concentrations than the remaining exudates. There was no correlation between MMP and TIMP levels in plasma and pleural fluid in this group of effusions. In parapneumonic effusions, MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-9 showed a positive correlation with the neutrophilic activation markers and with u-PA and PAI-1. Moreover, there was a relationship between MMP-8 concentration in pleural fluid and pleural thickening at the end of treatment. Conclusions: 1. Elevated MMP-2 and TIMP-1 levels were found in all the pleural fluid samples studied, suggesting their constitutive expression by mesothelial cells. 2. The group of empyema or complicated parapneumonic effusions showed the highest concentrations of MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-9 in pleural fluid. 3. In empyema and complicated parapneumonic effussion, no correlation was found between plasma and pleural fluid levels of MMPs and TIMPs, suggesting a compartmentalization of these enzymes in the pleural space. 4. In parapneumonic effusions exists a close positive correlation of MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-9 with the neutrophilic activation markers (IL-8, TNF-?, PMN-E), u-PA and PAI-1, all of them related to the developement of local complications in infectious effusions. 5. In parapneumonic effusions, pleural fluid MMP-8 was related to the presence of residual pleural thickening. 6. In parapneumonic effusions, the association of MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-9 with neutrophil activation markers and the fibrinolysis system, and also the relation of MMP-8 with the presence of local complications, suggests an important role of this enzymes in the physiopathology of infectious effusions

Design and implementation of 3D buildings integration for a Webgl-Based Virtual Globe: a case study of Valencian Cadastre and Fide Building Mode

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.Since nowadays Web applications are increasingly providing plenty of creative and interesting services relying on new standards and more powerful computers, it becomes important to create similar applications, to process and visualize geographic data taking advantage of such groundings. In this context, it results interesting to develop new Web-based geo-processing based on a 3D data representation, exploiting the recent WebGL graphic specification from a client-side point of view. This research explains the novel way in which whole Valencian cadastre was analyzed, processed and finally represented into a WebGL-based virtual globe. These improvements provide end-users firstly, an optimization of computer graphics performance, by natively accessing to graphics instructions; and secondly a functional data management and representation for the present and forthcoming geo-processing Web-based platform

Rational Design and Development of Polymeric Nanogels as Protein Carriers

Proteins have gained significant attention as potential therapeutic agents owing to their high specificity and reduced toxicity. Nevertheless, their clinical utility is hindered by inherent challenges associated with stability during storage and after in vivo administration. To overcome these limitations, polymeric nanogels (NGs) have emerged as promising carriers. These colloidal systems are capable of efficient encapsulation and stabilization of protein cargoes while improving their bioavailability and targeted delivery. The design of such delivery systems requires a comprehensive understanding of how the synthesis and formulation processes affect the final performance of the protein. This review highlights critical aspects involved in the development of NGs for protein delivery, with specific emphasis on loading strategies and evaluation techniques. For example, factors influencing loading efficiency and release kinetics are discussed, along with strategies to optimize protein encapsulation through protein-carrier interactions to achieve the desired therapeutic outcomes. The discussion is based on recent literature examples and aims to provide valuable insights for researchers working toward the advancement of protein-based therapeutics

Extremal points of total generalized variation balls in 1D:characterization and applications

The total generalized variation (TGV) is a popular regularizer in inverse problems and imaging combining discontinuous solutions and higher order smoothing. In particular, empirical observations suggest that its order two version strongly favors piecewise affine functions. In the present manuscript, we formalize this statement for the one-dimensional TGV-functional by characterizing the extremal points of its sublevel sets with respect to a suitable quotient space topology. These results imply that 1D TGV-regularized linear inverse problems with finite dimensional observations admit piecewise affine minimizers. As further applications of this characterization we include precise first-order necessary optimality conditions without requiring convexity of the fidelity term, and a simple solution algorithm for TGV-regularized minimization problems.Comment: 38 pages, 9 figure

Luján (provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina): imagen y destino turístico. Contribución al análisis de una perspectiva el patrimonio territorial

XII Coloquio de Geografía del Turismo, Ocio y Recreación de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles. Colmenarejo (Madrid), del 17 al 19 de junio de 2010

Las vías de responsabilidad de las empresas multinacionales por daños ambientales. El caso Dutch Shell Nigeria

La presente nota tiene como objetivo describir la realidad ambiental y social del conflicto en el delta del Níger resultado de las actividades extractivas, especialmente las llevadas a cabo por la empresa Shell, así como exponer las acciones legales más trascendentales realizadas tanto a nivel internacional como nacional y las limitaciones de cada una de ellas. Asimismo, se examinará el caso presentado por cuatro residentes del delta del Níger -junto con la ONG Milieudefensie y Amigos de la Tierra Nigeria- contra Royal Dutch Shell y Shell Petroleum Development Company ante los tribunales holandeses y se analizará la sentencia F. Akpan & anor -v- Royal Dutch Shell plc & anor, la cual marca un precedente en la tendencia internacional de responsabilizar a las empresas multinacionales en los Estados de origen por daños en el extranjero

Significado do turismo de peregrinación para o desenvolvemento local. Caso das peregrinacións á Basílica Nacional da Nosa Señora da Pura e Limpa Concepción do Río Luján, provincia de Bos Aires, Arxentina

[Resumen] Entre las características culturales que contribuyeron a forjar el valor turístico de la actual ciudad de Luján de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, descuella, en particular, la religiosa, factor que constituye un elemento clave de la concepción de cualquier estrategia de desarrollo local que se asuma. El significado de la virgen de Luján, Nuestra Señora de la Pura y Limpia Concepción del río Luján, su historia, prácticamente, hilvana el relato científicamente edificado acerca del asentamiento y de la sociedad, lujanenses, en una amalgama permanentemente renovada por el fenómeno singular, por la diversidad de sus expresiones, de las peregrinaciones a Virgen y a la Basílica Nacional Nuestra Señora de Luján.[Resumo] Entre as características culturais que contribuíron a forzar o valor turístico da actual cidade de Luján da provincia de Bos Aires, Arxentina, sobresae, en particular, a relixiosa, factor que constitúe un elemento clave da concepción de calquera estratexia de desenvolvemento local que se asuma. O significado da virxe de Luján, A Nosa Señora da Pura e Limpa concepción do río Luján, a súa historia, practicamente ganduxa o relato cientificamente edificado acerca do asentamento e da sociedade lujanenses, nunha amálgama permanentemente renovada polo fenómeno singular, pola diversidade das súas expresións, das peregrinacións á Virxe e á Basílica Nacional da Nosa Señora de Luján.[Abstract] This includes an analysis of the promotion of the Camino de Santiago over the last few decades, the context in which this was carried out, the parties involved in the process, the promotional strategies to attract tourists and travel agencies, sponsorship, and collaboration with the private sector, with the political institutions, with the media and with civil society. It also examines the communication activities carried out, the materials used with their identifying symbols (mascot, logotype, credentials), the changes of image under the Xacobeo brand, and the link between the communication carried out (image projected), the confirmed initial image and the a posteriori image perceived by visitors

Educational Microblogging for Language Learning: A Systematised Review of Research Publications between 2010 and 2018

En la enseñanza-aprendizaje de idiomas, algunas formas de comunicación en línea como el microblogging están ganando relevancia, especialmente desde la aparición de las escalas para medir y evaluar la interacción online recomendadas por el Consejo de Europa (2018). En este artículo, se presenta una revisión sistematizada sobre el microblogging en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de idiomas. Siguiendo las pautas de actuación del marco metodológico SALSA (Grant & Booth, 2009), se seleccionaron 18 artículos con el objetivo de explorar el tipo de investigaciones sobre microblogging realizado entre los años 2010- 2018 y el impacto que tiene esta herramienta en la competencia lingüística del estudiante y en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Los resultados obtenidos corroboran la utilidad del microblogging para el desarrollo de la competencia lingüística. No obstante, dichos resultados deben tomarse con cautela, puesto que 11 de las 18 investigaciones analizadas aportan datos sobre la adquisición autopercibida del estudiante. Las conclusiones informan sobre los beneficios del microblogging en relación a la competencia lingüística, especialmente sus componentes léxicos, semánticos y gramaticales. La utilización del microblogging permite aprendizajes contextualizados, auténticos e informales y una ruptura con los límites espacio-temporales.In language teaching and learning, some types of communication, such as microblogging, are becoming more important – especially since the Council of Europe (2018) introduced scales to measure and evaluate online interaction. This article presents a systematised review of microblogging in language teaching and learning. Following the SALSA Framework stages (Grent & Booth, 2009), 18 articles were selected with the objective of exploring the research on microblogging carried out between 2010 and 2018, and the impact that this tool has on both the learners’ linguistic competence and the teachinglearning process. The results obtained inform about the usefulness of microblogging in the development of linguistic competence. Yet, these results should be taken with caution, as 11 out of the 18 revised articles are based on the learners’ self-perceived acquisition. The conclusions indicate the benefits of microblogging for linguistic competence and, more specifically, for three of its components – lexical, semantic and grammatical competences. The use of microblogging favours contextualised, authentic and informal learning and the overcoming of space and time constraints