Solvents derived from glycerol modify classical regioselectivity in the enzymatic synthesis of disaccharides with Biolacta β-galactosidase

Green solvents made from glycerol change the classical regioselectivity of Biolacta No 5 β-galactosidase, from β(1→4) to β(1→6) linkages when a 2 M concentration was used. In order to explain these results, the non-proteic compounds present in the Biolacta preparation were separated by precipitation with ammonium sulfate and the remaining protein extract was used to set reactions with appropriate organic solvents to find that the regioselectivity towards the β(1→6) isomer is retained. According to proteomic analysis, a 98% homology between Streptococcus pneumoniae and Biolacta β-galactosidase preparation was found. With these data, molecular modelling was done which predicts a tridimensional interaction in the enzyme active site with the donor (GlcNAc) and the water-solvent mixture which explains this phenomenon. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.This work was supported by two research projects of the Spanish MICINN (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España) CTQ2009-11801 and CTQ2008-05138, and one European project (FP-62003-NMP-SMF-3, proposal 011774-2).Peer Reviewe

Elucidating the trophic role of Tapinoma ibericum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as a potential predator of olive pests

Ants play a key role in improving the structure and function of local communities. They interact with plants, herbivores, predators and parasitoids and are able to change their trophic role in space and time. These features, however, make it difficult to establish the net trophic role of ants in agroecosystems. Here we aim to determine the isotopic enrichment and tissue incorporation rates in ants of the Tapinoma nigerrimum complex, which are found abundantly in olive orchards (i.e. T. ibericum), to determine their trophic role through stable isotopes analysis. We compared the isotopic signature of ants feeding on (1) natural diets, (2) experimental diets and (3) contrasting diets of ants inhabiting natural habitats and olive orchards with different management systems. Then, we contrasted our isotopic results on natural diets with the prey of ant foragers in olive orchards. Our results showed that (1) ants from olive orchards had an isotopic signature different from that of a hyper-predator; (2) the isotopic signature did not vary significantly amongst different management practices and (3) the diet of ants in nature varies greatly on preys according to resource availability, which may be reflected in isotopic signatures. Therefore, T. ibericum is a species that can potentially contribute to control olive pests without posing a risk to other natural enemies because commonly it is not a hyper-predator. The information presented here could be used by farmers and technicians to enhance local biological control planning and/or strategies in olive orchards.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Grant/ Award Number: AGL2009-0987

An adaptive scheme for wheelchair navigation collaborative control

In this paper we propose a system where machine and human cooperate at every situation via a reactive emergent behavior, so that the person is always in charge of his/her own motion. Our approach relies on locally evaluating the performance of the human and the wheelchair for each given situation. Then, both their motion commands are weighted according to those efficiencies and combined in a reactive way. This approach benefits from the advantages of typical reactive behaviors to combine different sources of information in a simple, seamless way into an emergent trajectory.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Wheelchair collaborative control for disabled users navigating indoors.

https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/12586Objective: Mobility is of key importance for autonomous living. Persons with severe disabilities may be assisted by robotic wheelchairs when manual control is not possible. However, these persons should contribute to control as much as they can to avoid loss of residual skills and frustration. Traditionally, wheelchair shared control approaches either give control to person or robot depending on the situation. Methods and materials: We propose a new shared control technique where robot and person contribute simultaneously to control. Their commands are weighted according to their respective local efficiencies and then combined via a reactive navigation strategy. Thus, assistance adapts to the user's needs. We refer to this approach as collaborative control. Results: Collaborative control was tested in a home environment in Fondazione Santa Lucia (Rome) by 18 volunteers presenting different degrees of physical and cognitive disability. All of them successfully finished a complex test path with assistance. Both users and caregivers' opinion on the system was very positive. Acceptance was very good according to the psychosocial impact of assistive devices scale. Conclusions: Collaborative control adapts to the person's needs and assists him/her when necessary, locally compensating any problem related to specific disabilities. An ANOVA returned a p-value of 0.016, meaning that there is significant improvement in task performance when collaborative control is used. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

COMPARATIVA DE DESEMPEÑO DE LOS OPTIMIZADORES ADAM VS SGD EN EL ENTRENAMIENTO DE REDES NEURONALES CONVOLUCIONALES PARA LA CLASIFICACIÓN DE IMÁGENES ECG (COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE OF ADAM VS. SGD OPTIMIZERS IN CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK TRAINING FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF ECG IMAGES)

Resumen Las Redes Neuronales Convolucionales (RNC) han demostrado ser una herramienta muy potente al momento de analizar imágenes, por lo cual es preciso conocer y experimentar a detalle las bondades que nos ofrece y poder así generar nuevos métodos o aplicaciones con su uso. En el presente se propone una comparativa entre dos clasificaciones de imágenes electrocardiográficas (ECG) en las que se utilizan imágenes sintéticas diseñadas a partir de ecuaciones diferenciales e imágenes reales, además de que al momento de los entrenamientos se hará uso de dos optimizadores diferentes, el optimizador ADAM y el SGD con el objetivo de dar a conocer las eficiencias de cada uno durante el entrenamiento. Este estudio cuantitativo pretende demostrar la eficiencia de las RNC aplicadas a la clasificación de imágenes de este tipo, la cual resulto ser satisfactoria ya que se puede observar que ambas clasificaciones tuvieron una precisión del 100% al utilizar el optimizador SGD. Palabras Clave: Red Neuronal Convolucional, Optimizadores ADAM y SGD, ECG. Abstract Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have proven to be a very powerful tool when analyzing images, so it is necessary to know and experience a detail of the benefits that it offers us and thus be able to generate new methods or applications with its use. In this paper, we propose a comparison between two classifications of electrocardiographic images (ECG) in which synthetic images designed from differential equations and real images are use, in addition to the fact that at the time of training two different optimizers will be used, the optimizer ADAM and SGD with the aim of making known the efficiencies of each one during training. This quantitative study aims to demonstrate the efficiency of the CNN applied to image classification of this type, which turns out to be satisfactory since it can be seen that both classifications were 100% accurate when using the SGD optimizer. Keywords: Convolutional Neural Network, ADAM and SGD optimizers, ECG

MODELADO Y SIMULACIÓN EN SOFTWARE DE EFICIENCIA EN ACONDICIONAMIENTO DE TEMPERATURA EN ESPACIO EDUCATIVO (MODELING AND SIMULATION IN SOFTWARE OF EFFICIENCY IN TEMPERATURE CONDITIONING IN EDUCATIONAL SPACE)

Resumen Se presenta una investigación de tipo comparativa, relativa a la eficiencia energética de los aires acondicionados denominados “minisplit”, mediante simulaciones en el software Solidworks, específicamente, la interfaz Flow Simulation, tomando en cuenta dos escenarios para la simulación. El primero, la zona de Mazamitla, Jalisco, México y el segundo escenario Manzanillo, Colima, México. Se usarán sus parámetros climatológicos característicos de cada zona; presión atmosférica, temperatura y humedad. Finalizando, se hace una comparativa, en los resultados de la simulación, y los parámetros iniciales, logrando demostrar, el rendimiento que tienen los dispositivos bajo los parámetros establecidos y concluyendo en que zona son más eficientes y consecuentemente disminuye su coste energético. Palabras Clave: Costo, eficiencia, parámetros, simulación, Solidworks. Abstract A comparative research is presented, related to the energy efficiency of air conditioners called “minisplit”, through simulations in Solidworks software, specifically, the Flow Simulation interface, taking into account two different places for the simulation. The first, the Mazamitla area, Jalisco, Mexico and the second stage, Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Its characteristic climatological parameters of each zone will be used; atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity. Finally, a comparison is made, in the simulation results, and the initial parameters, managing to demonstrate the performance of the devices under the established parameters and concluding in which area they are more efficient and consequently reduces their energy cost. Keywords: Cost, Efficiency, Parameters, Simulation, Solidworks

Listado de la artropodofauna del macizo de Sierra Nevada (Almería y Granada, España)

Descripción de los datos El presente artículo describe la versión 2.7 del conjunto de datos titulado “Checklist of the arthropod fauna of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range (Almería and Granada, Spain)” (Tinaut et al. 2022), el cual recoge las especies y subespecies de artrópodos citadas para el macizo de Sierra Nevada y otros taxones que, aún siendo minoría, han sido citados solamente hasta nivel de familia o género. Además, se aporta toda su información taxonómica correspondiente, en formato Darwin Core. Incluye 3953 registros representados como 6 clases, 33 órdenes, 268 familias, 1884 géneros y 3940 especies (de las cuales 169 son endemismos). Se han incluido además algunas especies cuya presencia no está totalmente confirmada (86) detallando esta información en el campo “taxon- Remarks”. Este y el resto de los campos utilizados del formato Darwin Core se detallan en la Tabla 1. Para su elaboración se ha utilizado como fuente primaria la obra “Los Insectos de Sierra Nevada. 200 años de historia” (Ruano et al. 2013) y ha sido completada con aquellos taxones citados en la bibliografía científica, con posterioridad a la edición de esta obra, o no incluidos en ella. Este listado está publicado en GBIF (https://doi.org/10.15470/nt5nsx) bajo licencia de Creative Commons Atribución No Comercial (CCBY- NC) 4.0. Parte de este material está presente en las colecciones del Departamento de Zoología de la Universidad de Granada y se puede consultar en https://ccz.ugr.es/.Presentamos un listado de la artropodofauna de Sierra Nevada (latitud 36.927 y 37.23; longitud -3.571 y -2.646) en el que se incluyen 3953 registros representados como 6 clases, 33 órdenes, 268 familias, 1884 géneros y 3940 especies (de las cuales 169 son endemismos), indicando la referencia bibliográfica de la cita y la información taxonómica correspondiente. La elaboración de este listado, y sus futuras actualizaciones, intentan paliar el desconocimiento que todavía existe sobre los artrópodos presentes en Sierra Nevada ofreciendo un recurso imprescindible para generar conocimiento sobre la biodiversidad entomológica de este macizo, así como para plantear estrategias de conservación adecuadas. La obra "Los Insectos de Sierra Nevada. 200 años de historia" (Ruano et al. 2013) ha sido la fuente primaria de citas y la hemos completado con aquellos taxones no incluidos en ella o aparecidos en la bibliografía científica con posterioridad. Los nombres científicos han sido validados en base a diferentes catálogos taxonómicos y el conocimiento de expertos y bajo criterios de coherencia, relevancia y actualidad. El listado está disponible en GBIF en formato Darwin Core (https://doi.org/10.15470/nt5nsx) y parte del material citado se encuentra depositado en las colecciones del Departamento de Zoología de la Universidad de Granada (https://ccz.ugr.es).We present a list of the arthropod fauna of Sierra Nevada (latitude 36.927 and 37.23; longitude -3.571 and -2.646) which includes 3953 records represented as 6 classes, 33 orders, 268 families, 1884 genera and 3940 species (of which 169 are endemic), indicating the bibliographic reference of the citation and the corresponding taxonomic information. The elaboration of this list, and its future updates, attempts to alleviate the lack of knowledge that still exists about the arthropods present in Sierra Nevada; offering an essential resource to generate knowledge about the entomological biodiversity of this massif, as well as to propose adequate conservation strategies. The work "Los Insectos de Sierra Nevada. 200 years of history" (Ruano et al. 2013) has been the primary source of citations and we have completed it with those taxa not included in it or appearing in the scientific literature later. The scientific names have been validated based on different taxonomic catalogues and the knowledge of experts and under criteria of coherence, relevance and timeliness. The list is available in GBIF in Darwin Core format (https://doi.org/10.15470/nt5nsx) and part of the material cited is deposited in the collections of the Zoology Department of the University of Granada (https://ccz.ugr.es/).Proyecto Smart Ecomountains (Ref. LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01_WP-1), subvencionado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y fondos FEDE

A new collaborative shared control strategy for continuous elder/robot assisted navigation

In nowadays aging society, many people require mobility assistance. Autonomous wheelchairs may provide some help, but they are not supposed to overtake all control on human mobility, as this is reported to lead to loss of residual capabilities and frustration. Instead, persons and wheelchairs are expected to cooperate. Traditionally, shared control hands control from human to robot depending on a triggering event. In this paper, though, we propose a method to allow constant cooperation between humans and robots, so that both have some weight in the emergent navigating behavior. We have tested the proposed method on a robotized Meyra wheelchair at Santa Lucia Hospedale in Rome with several volunteering in-patients presenting different disabilities. Results in indoor environments have been satisfactory both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

El estado actual del estudio de florecimientos algales nocivos en México

This review presents an analysis of the state of knowledge of harmful algae studies in the marine environment in Mexico, in order to evaluate how we can optimize the available resources to study these events, identify unattended issues, and propose improvements in monitoring and/or research programs that could help to further understand the complexity of HAB in our coasts. An exhaustive bibliographic revision, from 1940 to 2011, was done consulting specialized data analyses, conference meetings, and specialized books and manuals. The number of researchers and institutions involved in HAB (harmful algal blooms) studies has increased significantly during the last decades, which is reflected in the number and quality of publications. However most of the existing HAB reports are based on sporadic sampling and short-term research programs. Monitoring programs and research activities have been focused in only a few HAB species; many toxic and harmful microalgal species have not been considered. To date, there is no laboratory with the capacity and techniques to analyze all the phycotoxins detected in Mexican coasts. Also, many research areas have not been attended adequately in Mexico such as cyst studies, allelophaty, exotic species, effect of climate change, use of molecular tools and teledetection, socioeconomic analyses, and mitigation strategies among others. This review shows that there has been a significantly improvement in the study of HAB in Mexico. However the studies are still addressed under an individual and disperse way and lack coordination. Greater achievements would be obtained if we concentrate the efforts of researchers and institutions were coordinated in order to optimize the available resources for HAB studies.Esta revisión da a conocer el estado de conocimiento de los estudios de Florecimientos Algales Nocivos (FAN) en el ámbito marino en México, con el objeto de evaluar la manera de optimizar los recursos destinados para el estudio de FAN en nuestro país, identificando líneas no abordadas y proponiendo mejoras en las actividades de monitoreo y de investigación que puedan aumentar nuestro conocimiento sobre la complejidad de FAN en nuestras costas. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica de 1940 a 2011 consultando bases de datos, reuniones académicas y libros especializados. El número de investigadores e instituciones involucrados con el estudio de FAN se ha incrementado significativamente en las últimas décadas, lo cual se ve reflejado en el número y calidad de las publicaciones. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los programas y actividades de investigación están basados en muestreos puntuales y programas de investigación a corto plazo, enfocándose a pocas especies de FAN. Actualmente, varias líneas de investigación relacionadas con los FAN se han abordado pobremente o no se han considerado como son los estudios sobre quistes, alelopatía, transportación de especies por aguas de lastre, efecto del cambio climático, utilización de imágenes de satélite, uso de herramientas moleculares, análisis socioeconómicos y estrategias de mitigación, entre otros. Este análisis muestra que ha habido un avance significativo en el estudio de FAN en México, si bien la manera de abordar su estudio ha sido individualizada y dispersa. Se obtendría un mayor avance si se coordinaran los esfuerzos entre los diversos investigadores e instituciones para optimizar los recursos disponibles para el estudio de los FAN