Efecto de la restricción calórica, el envejecimiento y el componente graso de la dieta sobre la señalización apooptótica en tejidos mitóticos y postmitóticos

Aging is associated to a wide variety of related diseases, such as degenerative and neoplastic disorders. Multiple theories explaining the aging process have been suggested being the free radical theory of aging the most accepted and studied one. According to this theory, oxygen-derived free radicals generation due to metabolic processes is responsible for the progressive damage of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. In addition, a membrane theory of aging has been suggested, stating that the degree of unsaturation in membrane lipids partially determine the maximum life span in species-based comparisons . Calorie restriction without malnutrition is the best established dietary intervention able to extend medium and maximum life span in several model organisms, including mammals. CR delays the onset of the vast majority of age-related diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, sarcopenia of aging, or diabetes. This intervention has been also proven to alter the degree of unsaturation of lipids in cellular membranes, decreasing the double bond index. The extent to which modifications in membrane structure and membrane-bound activities mediate the effects of calorie restriction still requires further investigation to be better understood. Fatty acids are present in phospholipids, the main structural constituent of cell membranes, as well as in acylglicerols, as energy reservoirs. The length and degree of unsaturation of the aliphatic chain determine the structural and biological characteristics of the biological membranes. Additionally, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids belonging to n-6 and n-3 series are responsible for a wide range of biological processes. Arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids are able to induce several processes linked to inflammation. On the other hand, n-3 fatty acids contribute to regulate these proinflammatory stimuli in several different ways (including competitive inhibition and direct antinflammatory action). It has been described that n-3 fatty acids are able to increase cell death rates in tumors, and to prevent degeneration in the nervous tissue. In summary, calorie restriction and dietary lipids contribute to modify biological membranes, which apart from being a passive target for oxidative damage, contain biologically active fatty acids. Some of the main age-related diseases have been proven to be tightly linked to imbalance between cell proliferation and death. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is required for several stages of development and contributes to maintain homeostasis. Insufficient apoptosis is detected in tumors, while an excessive cell death rate causes loss of function in non-mitotic tissues, as observed in nervous tissue and skeletal muscle. Apoptosis is regulated through complex integration of survival and death signals from inside and outside the cell. In the extrinsic pathway, extracellular ligands bind...El envejecimiento se asocia a diversas enfermedades, tales como desórdenes degenerativos y neoplasias. Se han sugerido múltiples teorías para explicar el proceso de envejecimiento, y la más aceptada y estudiada entre ellas es la teoría de los radicales libres. De acuerdo con ella, las especies reactivas de oxígeno producidas en los procesos metabólicos son responsables de la degradación progresiva de proteínas, lípidos y ácidos nucleicos. Además, se ha propuesto una teoría del envejecimiento en función de la composición de las membranas, que sugiere una relación entre el grado de insaturación de los lípidos de membranas y la longevidad media de diversas especies. La restricción calórica sin malnutrición es la intervención dietética mejor estudiada capaz de prolongar la longevidad media y máxima en diversos organismos modelo, incluyendo mamíferos. Además, retrasa la aparición de la mayor parte de las enfermedades vinculadas al envejecimiento, tales como cáncer, enfermedades neurodegenerativas, diabetes o sarcopenia del envejecimiento. La restricción calórica también modifica el grado de insaturación de las membranas celulares, disminuyendo el índice de dobles enlaces. Son necesarias más investigaciones para comprender major en qué medida estas modificaciones de las membranas son un mecanismo de acción de la restricción calórica. Los ácidos grasos están presentes en las células en forma de fosfolípidos, los principales constituyentes de las membranas celulares, así como en forma de acilgliceroles, sirviendo de reserve energética. La longitud y el grado de saturación de la cadena alifática determinan las características biológicas y estructurales de las membranas. Además, los ácidos grasos poliinsaturados de cadena larga pertenecientes a las series n-3 y n-6 son responsables de un amplio espectro de procesos biológicos. Los eicosanoides derivados del ácido araquidónico inducen diversos procesos vinculados a la inflamación. Por otro lado, los ácidos grasos n-3 contribuyen a regular estos estímulos proinflamatorios mediante varios mecanismos, incluyendo la inhibición competitiva y la acción directa antiinflamatoria. Se ha descrito, además, que los ácidos grasos n-3 incrementan la tasa de muerte cellular en tumores, y que previenen la degeneración del tejido nervioso. En resumen, la restricción calórica y los lípidos de la dieta contribuyen a modificar las membranas celulares, que además de ser elementos susceptibles de daño oxidativo contienen ácidos grasos biológicamente activos. Algunas de las más importantes enfermedades vinculadas al envejecimiento se basan en el desequilibrio entre proliferación y muerte celular. La apoptosis, o muerte celular programada, es necesaria para diversas etapas del desarrollo y contribuye a mantener la homeostasis de los tejidos. En los tumores se detectan niveles insuficientes de muerte celular, mientras que una apoptosis excesiva puede provocar la pérdida de función en tejidos postmitóticos, como el nervioso o el muscular. La apoptosis es regulada a través de una compleja integración de señales de supervivencia y muerte procedentes del interior y del exterior de la célula. En la ruta extrínseca, ligandos extracelulares s

Orientadores escolares: importancia de la dimensión personal y participativa en las competencias actitudinales

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The current model of indirect intervention about educational guidance, based on collaborative consultation and theoretically grounded in the principles of prevention, intervention and social development, is an unquestionable quality factor in education systems. Method: The aim of this study is to understand the degree of importance that attitudinal competences hold for an effective performance by school counselors in Education Schools of Galicia. In order to measure attitudinal competences it was used the questionnaire Analysis of professional competences of school counselors. Results: The results of the investigation confirm that counselors consider attitudinal competences very important (69.1%), those with the highest rating (percentages over 75%) are those referring to “knowing how to act” (participative dimension) in contrast to a worse assessment (percentages under 55%) of those referring to “knowing how to be” (personal dimension). Principal components analysis followed by varimax rotation indicated two factors jointly accounting for 61.2% of total variance, one associated with actions involving modification of syllabuses, and the other with actions not requiring such changes. Cronbach's alphas were .94 and.80 for the two factors. Finally, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) holds that hypothesized model appears to be an acceptable fit of data. Conclusions: This study, beyond lending productionof knowledge to the field of educational and vocational guidance, is a headway to favor the acquisition of attitudinal competences in counseling training, contributing to the strengthening of counseling services in terms of quality and excellence. RESUMENIntroducción: El modelo actual de intervención indirecta de la orientación educativa, basado en la consulta colaborativa y fundamentado teóricamente en los principios de prevención, desarrollo e intervención social, constituye un factor de calidad indiscutible en los sistemas educativos. Método: El objetivo de este estudio conocer el grado de importancia de las competencias actitudinales en el desempeño eficaz de las funciones de los orientadores escolares en los centros educativos de Galicia. Para medir las competencias actitudinales se aplicó el cuestionario Análisis de las competencias profesionales de los orientadores escolares. Resultados: Los resultados de la investigación confirman que los orientadores consideran muy importantes las competencias actitudinales (69.1%), siendo mejor valoradas (porcentajes superiores al 75%) las que hacen referencia al “saber estar” (dimensión participativa) frente a una peor valoración (porcentajes por debajo del 55%) de las referidas al “saber ser” (dimensión personal). El análisis factorial a través de los componentes principales con rotación varimax configura dos factores que explican el 61.2% de la varianza de los datos, asociado uno con acciones que implican modificación de programas, y otro con acciones que no requieren tales cambios. Las alphas de Cronbach son de .94 y .80 para los dos factores. Finalmente, el análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC) sostiene que el modelo hipotetizado tiene un aceptable ajuste a los datos. Conclusiones: El presente estudio, más allá de contribuir con la producción de conocimientos en el área de la orientación educativa y profesional, es un avance para favorecer la adquisición de competencias actitudinales en la formación orientadora, contribuyendo al fortalecimiento de los servicios de orientación en términos de calidad y excelencia.ABSTRACTIntroduction: The current model of indirect intervention about educational guidance, based on collaborative consultation and theoretically grounded in the principles of prevention, intervention and social development, is an unquestionable quality factor in education systems. Method: The aim of this study is to understand the degree of importance that attitudinal competences hold for an effective performance by school counselors in Education Schools of Galicia. In order to measure attitudinal competences it was used the questionnaire Analysis of professional competences of school counselors. Results: The results of the investigation confirm that counselors consider attitudinal competences very important (69.1%), those with the highest rating (percentages over 75%) are those referring to “knowing how to act” (participative dimension) in contrast to a worse assessment (percentages under 55%) of those referring to “knowing how to be” (personal dimension). Principal components analysis followed by varimax rotation indicated two factors jointly accounting for 61.2% of total variance, one associated with actions involving modification of syllabuses, and the other with actions not requiring such changes. Cronbach's alphas were .94 and.80 for the two factors. Finally, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) holds that hypothesized model appears to be an acceptable fit of data. Conclusions: This study, beyond lending productionof knowledge to the field of educational and vocational guidance, is a headway to favor the acquisition of attitudinal competences in counseling training, contributing to the strengthening of counseling services in terms of quality and excellence.

NDT-Suite: A Methodological Tool Solution in the Model-Driven Engineering Paradigm

Although the Model-Driven paradigm is being accepted in the research environment as a very useful and powerful option for effective software development, its real application in the enter prise context is still a challenge for software engineering. Several causes can be stacked out, but one of them can be the lack of tool support for the efficient application of this paradigm. This pa per presents a set of tools, grouped in a suite named NDT-Suite, which under the Model-Driven paradigm offer a suitable solution for software development. These tools explore different options that this paradigm can improve such as, development, quality assurance or requirement treat ment. Besides, this paper analyses how they are being successfully applied in the industryMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RJunta de Andalucía TIC-578

Elevación del piso del seno maxilar usando hueso homólogo liofilizado y hueso autólogo de tibia : reporte de resultados radiográficos e histológicos

ABSTRACT: Autologous bone grafts for maxillary sinus floor lifting are widely accepted to reconstruct alveolar ridge defects; however, there are donor sites that have not been fully explored and can be valid alternatives for this type of procedures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of tibia autologous grafts compared with freeze-dried homologous bone in maxillary sinus floor lifting. Methods: prospective, controlled, randomized study in 11 patients requiring maxillary sinus elevation. Panoramic radiographs were taken in three different moments (pre-surgery, immediately after surgery, and 6 months post-surgery) in the two groups (tibia and freeze-dried), measuring the alveolar ridge height in the posterior maxilla. Bone biopsies were taken in the grafted area 6 months after the procedure. Results: A significant reduction in bone height was found in the group grafted with freeze-dried bone. The group grafted with tibia autologous bone showed greater stability between baseline and 6 months after surgery. The histological sections showed equal conditions between the two groups. Conclusion: tibia bone shows greater stability in the evaluated period in terms of the height obtained in maxillary sinus floor lifting procedures, with clinical and histological characteristics suitable for the placement of implants. This study should be complemented with a larger sample to provide more representative results that can be applied to the general population. Keywords: maxillary sinus lifting, biomaterials, autologous bone, freeze-dried bone, tibia graft.RESUMEN: Los injertos de hueso autólogo para elevación del piso del seno maxilar son ampliamente aceptados para la reconstrucción de defectos en el reborde alveolar; sin embargo, existen sitios donantes que no han sido debidamente explorados y que pueden representar opciones válidas para este tipo de procedimientos. El objetivo de este estudio consistió en evaluar el comportamiento de los injertos autólogos de tibia, comparados con injertos homólogos de hueso liofilizado en la elevación de seno maxilar. Métodos: estudio prospectivo, controlado, aleatorio, que incluyó a 11 pacientes que requerían elevación del seno maxilar. Se tomaron radiografías panorámicas en tres momentos (prequirúrgico, posquirúrgico inmediato y posquirúrgico a 6 meses) en los dos grupos (tibia y liofilizado). En estas se midió la altura del reborde alveolar en el maxilar posterior. Se tomaron biopsias de hueso en la zona injertada 6 meses después del procedimiento. Resultados: Se encontró una disminución significativa de la altura ósea en el grupo injertado con hueso liofilizado. El grupo injertado con hueso autólogo de tibia presentó mayor estabilidad entre el periodo de la cirugía y 6 meses después. En los cortes histológicos se evidenció igualdad de condiciones entre ambos grupos. Conclusión: el hueso de tibia muestra mayor estabilidad en el periodo investigado, en términos de altura obtenida en procedimientos de elevación de piso del seno maxilar, con características clínicas e histológicas adecuadas para la colocación de implantes. Este estudio debe complementarse con una muestra mayor para aportar resultados más representativos aplicables a la población. Palabras clave: elevación de seno maxilar, biomateriales, hueso autólogo, hueso liofilizado, injerto de tibia

Characterizing zebra crossing zones using LiDAR data

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanning in urban environments leads to accurate and dense three-dimensional point clouds where the different elements in the scene can be precisely characterized. In this paper, two LiDAR-based algorithms that complement each other are proposed. The first one is a novel profiling method robust to noise and obstacles. It accurately characterizes the curvature, the slope, the height of the sidewalks, obstacles, and defects such as potholes. It was effective for 48 of 49 detected zebra crossings, even in the presence of pedestrians or vehicles in the crossing zone. The second one is a detailed quantitative summary of the state of the zebra crossing. It contains information about the location, the geometry, and the road marking. Coarse grain statistics are more prone to obstacle-related errors and are only fully reliable for 18 zebra crossings free from significant obstacles. However, all the anomalous statistics can be analyzed by looking at the associated profiles. The results can help in the maintenance of urban roads. More specifically, they can be used to improve the quality and safety of pedestrian routesConsellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Grant/Award Numbers: accreditation 2019-2022 ED431G-2019/04, 2022-2024, ED431C2022/16, ED481A-2020/231; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); CiTIUS-Research Center in Intelligent Technologies of the University of Santiago de Compostela as a Research Center of the Galician University System; Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Government of Spain, Grant/Award Number: PID2019-104834GB-I00; National Department of Traffic (DGT) through the project Analysis of Indicators Big-Geodata on Urban Roads for the Dynamic Design of Safe School Roads, Grant/Award Number: SPIP2017-02340S

Physiological Regulation of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase and the Role of 2-Oxoglutarate in Prochlorococcus sp. Strain PCC 9511

The enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH; EC 1.1.1.42) catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate, to produce 2- oxoglutarate. The incompleteness of the tricarboxylic acids cycle in marine cyanobacteria confers a special importance to isocitrate dehydrogenase in the C/N balance, since 2-oxoglutarate can only be metabolized through the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase pathway. The physiological regulation of isocitrate dehydrogenase was studied in cultures of Prochlorococcus sp. strain PCC 9511, by measuring enzyme activity and concentration using the NADPH production assay and Western blotting, respectively. The enzyme activity showed little changes under nitrogen or phosphorus starvation, or upon addition of the inhibitors DCMU, DBMIB and MSX. Azaserine, an inhibitor of glutamate synthase, induced clear increases in the isocitrate dehydrogenase activity and icd gene expression after 24 h, and also in the 2-oxoglutarate concentration. Iron starvation had the most significant effect, inducing a complete loss of isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, possibly mediated by a process of oxidative inactivation, while its concentration was unaffected. Our results suggest that isocitrate dehydrogenase responds to changes in the intracellular concentration of 2-oxoglutarate and to the redox status of the cells in Prochlorococcus

Directorio web de fuentes de información expertas para estudiantes de periodismo

Tras detectar un grupo de profesores del área de periodismo de la Universidad de Sevilla lagunas en cómo llevan a cabo nuestros estudiantes sus trabajos técnicos y de investigación, nos propusimos construir, como Proyecto de Innovación Docente financiado por el II Plan Propio de Docencia de la Universidad de Sevilla, una página web que alojara una base de datos de fuentes expertas en las distintas áreas de conocimiento que se imparten en esta universidad y que son de gran interés periodístico y documental, ayudando con ella a nuestros estudiantes a contactar con aquellos expertos que precisaran. La metodología empleada coincide con las técnicas propias de la documentación: búsqueda, localización, selección y registro de expertos. La exploración se desarrolló entre septiembre y diciembre de 2016. A primeros de enero de 2017, el “Directorio de expertos” ya estaba habilitado para su consulta. Para comprobar la plena operatividad de la página web, se encuestó a los alumnos de las disciplinas impartidas por los profesores integrantes del proyecto, acerca de la navegabilidad de la web, la eficacia del buscador, la confiabilidad y la utilidad para ellos. La opinión de los 161 alumnos encuestados respecto a nuestra herramienta documental fue muy satisfactoria

Statistics of VHE γ-rays in temporal association with radio giant pulses from the Crab pulsar

Aims. The aim of this study is to search for evidence of a common emission engine between radio giant pulses (GPs) and very-high-energy (VHE, E& x2004;> & x2004;100 GeV) gamma-rays from the Crab pulsar. Methods. We performed 16 h of simultaneous observations of the Crab pulsar at 1.4 GHz with the Effelsberg radio telescope and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), and at energies above 60 GeV we used the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes. We searched for a statistical correlation between the radio and VHE gamma-ray emission with search windows of different lengths and different time lags to the arrival times of a radio GP. A dedicated search for an enhancement in the number of VHE gamma-rays correlated with the occurrence of radio GPs was carried out separately for the P1 and P2 phase ranges, respectively. Results. In the radio data sample, 99444 radio GPs were detected. We find no significant correlation between the GPs and VHE photons in any of the search windows. Depending on phase cuts and the chosen search windows, we find upper limits at a 95% confidence level on an increase in VHE gamma-ray events correlated with radio GPs between 7% and 61% of the average Crab pulsar VHE flux for the P1 and P2 phase ranges, respectively. This puts upper limits on the flux increase during a radio GP between 12% and 2900% of the pulsed VHE flux, depending on the search window duration and phase cuts. This is the most stringent upper limit on a correlation between gamma-ray emission and radio GPs reported so far

Observations of Sagittarius A* during the pericenter passage of the G2 object with MAGIC

Context. We present the results of a multi-year monitoring campaign of the Galactic center (GC) with the MAGIC telescopes. These observations were primarily motivated by reports that a putative gas cloud (G2) would be passing in close proximity to the super-massive black hole (SMBH), associated with Sagittarius A*, located at the center of our galaxy. This event was expected to give astronomers a unique chance to study the effect of in-falling matter on the broad-band emission of a SMBH. Aims. We search for potential flaring emission of very-high-energy (VHE; >= 100 GeV) gamma rays from the direction of the SMBH at the GC due to the passage of the G2 object. Using these data we also study the morphology of this complex region. Methods. We observed the GC region with the MAGIC Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes during the period 2012-2015, collecting 67 h of good-quality data. In addition to a search for variability in the flux and spectral shape of the GC gamma-ray source, we use a point-source subtraction technique to remove the known gamma-ray emitters located around the GC in order to reveal the TeV morphology of the extended emission inside that region. Results. No effect of the G2 object on the VHE gamma-ray emission from the GC was detected during the 4 yr observation campaign. We confirm previous measurements of the VHE spectrum of Sagittarius A*, and do not detect any significant variability of the emission from the source. Furthermore, the known VHE gamma-ray emitter at the location of the supernova remnant G0.9+0.1 was detected, as well as the recently discovered VHE source close to the GG radio arc

Desarrollo de materiales superabsorbentes biodegradables procesados a partir de subproductos agroindustriales

Actualmente se admite la necesidad cada vez más apremiante de desarrollar nuevos materiales con mayor sostenibilidad. Los materiales superabsorbentes constituyen un claro ejemplo, lo cual implica que estén basados en materias primas renovables, de menor coste e impacto ambiental. A pesar de ello, la comercialización de productos superabsorbentes basados en materias primas de origen natural, que sean biocompatibles y biodegradables se encuentra aún bastante limitada, existiendo una evidente necesidad de impulsar la investigación en el sector. El trabajo pretende contribuir a satisfacer esa necesidad, estableciéndose como objetivo principal desarrrollar nuevos materiales que presenten gran capacidad de absorción de agua (absorbentes y superabsobentes), que puedan ser procesados mediante técnicas de eficacia contrastada en la industria de fabricación de plásticos. Todo ello a partir de fuentes naturales renovables tales como proteínas procedentes de subproductos de la industria agroalimentaria. Además de su capacidad absorbente estos materiales deben presentar propiedades mecánicas y biodegradabilidad apropiadas para que puedan suponer una alternativa a los fabricados con polímeros sintéticos. Como resultado del trabajo se pretende adquirir el conocimiento científico y establecer las bases tecnológicas necesarias para conseguir matrices absorbentes y superabsorbentes biodegradables. Asimismo, se evaluará su potencial en productos SAB para higiene personal y para horticultura.There is an increasing need to shift towards the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials in the world market nowadays. Superabsorbents polymers (SAP) are a good example of this new type of materials, being based on renewable natural components with a lower cost. Notwithstanding, the productionand commercialization of biocompatible and biodegradable SAP are still very limited, which makes the need of research on this field pretty clear. This work pretends to cover that need establishing as its main objective the development of new materials that display a great water absorption capacity (absorbents and superabsorbents). These materials will be produced from natural renewable sources (proteins obtained as agro-food industry byproducts) through techniques commonly used in the plastic industry. These materials not only should possess a great water absorption capacity but they should present proper mechanical properties and biodegradability, so they could represent an attractive choice to those obtained from synthetic polymers. Eventually, the acquisition of scientific knowledge and the establishment of the technological base needed for the success in the development of those biodegradable SAP matrixes will be pursued with the different activities. Moreover, the potential of SAP materials produced for hygienic and horticulture applications will be studied.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) proyecto “Desarrrollo de Materiales superabsorbentes biodegradables procesados a partir de subproductos agroindustriales (SABio)” CTQ2015-71164-